Digimon Tamers: Generation 02
by Kurai Tenshi
Summary: *COMPLETED!!!* The end of one story is the beginning of another…
1. The Portal

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Digimon, and the characters don't belong to me. They rightfully belong to those who contributed to this fanfiction.

_Author's Note_: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you all for sending in profiles! I'm very glad so many of you responded, and I ended up having ten characters instead of the initial eight. Hey, I know that's not a lot, but that doesn't really matter. Again, I thank you all for applying, and I thank you all for reading as well. I promise you that I'll do my best! Oh, and before I forget…thank you, Hopelight, for inspiring me! I loved your stories very much, and I can't wait for more. Ja ne and arigato gozaimasu! (See ya and thank you very much!)__

—————

Chapter One

The Portal

"Mom, David's bothering me again!" shouted Lina Matsuki.

"David, why are you bothering your sister?" Jeri asked, turning her head to look at her son.

David stopped what he was doing and looked up. "I'm only reciting my speech for Monday. Technology is a very big issue at our school, and I want to use it in everyday—"

Lina put her hands over her ears. "Shut up! I don't wanna hear any techno-crap!"

"Lina, don't use that language," Takato warned his daughter as he drove.

—————

"So _where_ are we going, again?" ten-year-old Daiki Wong asked his parents.

"We're going to watch the presentation of a new video game," her father, Henry, replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

Riki, Daiki's older brother, asked, "Do we get to _play_ it?"

Their mother, Rika, shook her head. "I don't think so. I think Kazu would've told us already. Besides, it's a _presentation_. You don't play _presentations_."

Riki groaned. "This is going to be _so_ boring!"

—————

Kazu Shioda reviewed the presentation he and Kenta were going to introduce. Smiling proudly, he turned off the big screen TV and turned to Kenta, who was standing by the exit.

"Are they here yet?" Kazu called.

"No, not yet!" Kenta replied.

Kazu frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "When are they going to _be_ here?"

Two girls ran in from backstage.

"Have patience, Dad!" yelled Kazu's daughter, Marisol ("Compass").

"Yeah, Mr. Shioda," Kenta's daughter, Relaina ("Riley"), agreed. "It's not the end of the world if no one's here."

Kazu frowned again, then sighed. "You're right. But I still want people to come _now_!"

—————

A bright blue minivan pulled up at the factory's parking lot. Sado Neko and his wife, Suzie, got out, followed by their kids, Mikara and Josh.

"So, we're going to watch a presentation?" Mikara asked their mother.

"Yes, Mikara, and your Uncle Henry and Aunt Rika are going to be there," replied Suzie.

"And Riki and Daiki too?" Josh asked.

"Yes, Riki and Daiki too."

Josh grinned happily, but his sister groaned.

"Not that shrimp!" Mikara added. "Daiki is _so_ annoying!"

Sado frowned at them. "They're your _cousins_. Try to lighten up."

—————

"When are we going to get there?" Riku Akiyama asked for the fifth time.

"Riku, we'll get there when we get there, okay?" Riku's mother, Sakura stated crossly.

"What are we going to do there? What am _I_ going to do there?"

"We're watching a presentation," Ryo, Riku's father, replied. "My old friends are going to be there."

Riku sat back and pouted. "Great," she muttered. "A reunion."

—————

Everyone eventually arrived. The Nekos came first, of course. Then Henry, Rika, and their kids arrived. The Matsukis arrived next, and then the Akiyamas arrived. Of course, other people came to view the presentation. Kazu was so relieved that many people came, and Kenta was trying to review his speech. The kids were just plain bored.

The presentation was an hour long, and Riki was right—it _was_ boring. Afterwards, the parents met after years of not seeing each other. Their kids tagged along behind them, glaring at those they didn't know.

"Kazu! Eru! It's great to see you again!"

"Same with you, Takato. How're you and Jeri?"

"We're just fine."

"Hi Rika! Hi Henry!"

"Hello Suzie."

"Hi, little sis!"

"Henry! Stop calling me that!"

"Kenta! How are you and Adeline?"

"Just great! And you, Ryo?"

"Never better!"

After the commotion died down, they finally noticed their kids.

"Why don't you guys go to the Activity Center?" Rika asked Daiki.

Daiki nodded reluctantly. "Okay Mom. C'mon, Josh, let's go."

"Riki, look after Daiki," Henry ordered.

"Aw, Dad! He's ten!"

"He's your _brother_!"

"Fine…"

Sado smiled at his kids. "Go on, you guys. Mikara, look after Josh, okay?"

"Sure Dad," Mikara said halfheartedly.

Adeline turned to her daughter. "Riley, you and Compass show them to the Activity Center."

Riley nodded. "Whatever."

"Go on, Riku," Sakura told her daughter. "You wanted something to do, anyway. You'll have fun with the other kids."

Riku nodded, pouting.

"David? Lina? Why don't you join them?"

"Coz we don't need an activity center to entertain us," David said stubbornly.

Lina sighed. She grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him as she walked. "Come on, David. We're not going to be left behind."

"Ow! Hey, let go!"

—————

The Activity Center was like a kiddie playhouse, with beanbag chairs, blocks, and a small TV that was currently turned off. Riki leaned against the doorway and Lina sat on the floor. David sat on a beanbag chair, staring at the ceiling. Daiki and Josh were throwing blocks around. Riley and Compass were sitting silently. Mikara was typing on her computer, and Riku was staring at everyone.

David sighed. "How boring."

"You said it," Katie muttered. "We might as well introduce ourselves."

Lina stood up. "I guess I'll start. I'm Lina Matsuki and I'm eleven years old."

Mikara raised an eyebrow at Lina. "You wear _goggles_?"

"Well, yeah, sometimes. They were my dad's." Lina looked at herself. She was wearing a blue t-shirt, black pants, high-top sneakers, and goggles. Lina took off her goggles and smoothed out her light brown bangs, then put the goggles back on.

"My name's Riki Wong, and I'm Daiki's brother," Riki added. He had short brown hair and teal eyes. He wore black pants and a gray sweatshirt. "I'm fourteen."

David sat up and adjusted his glasses. "I'm David Matsuki, and I'm fourteen too." He wore a black t-shirt and khaki pants. On the front of his shirt, "Have a Nice Day" was written in yellow. David pointed at Lina. "She's my annoying little sister."

Daiki piped up, "And I'm Daiki Wong. I'm ten." Daiki wore a green t-shirt with a white dragon on it and jean shorts. Tufts of black hair could be seen from under Daiki's white baseball cap.

"I'm Marisol Shioda, but you can call me Compass," Compass greeted, smiling.

"And I'm her best friend Riley Kitagawa. Actually, my real name's Relaina, but you guys can call me Riley," Riley chimed in. She had silverish hair that was tainted purple and bright green eyes. She wore a pale violet halter-top and baggy jeans.

"My name's Riku Akiyama, and I'm twelve," Riku said. She had black-brown hair and light brown eyes. Her bangs hung past her eyes, and some were put to the side. Riku wore a black t-shirt that had little connected ties going down to her breast line, white pants, and white platform shoes.

"I'm Mikara," Mikara stated. "I'm thirteen, and I like to annoy my sibling." Mikara grinned, making a peace sign with her fingers. She had brown hair with two colored streaks sticking out in front. She had blue eyes and wore a blue sweatshirt, black bike shorts, and black boots.

"And then there's me—Josh Neko!" Josh exclaimed, jumping on a beanbag chair. "I'm ten!" Josh had light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He sported blue bike shorts, a yellow t-shirt, and sneakers.

"Is that all of us?" Lina asked.

"Yeah, think so," Riley replied.

"Well, that's not all of _our_ family," Josh said pointedly. "We have a little sister. Her name is Chikiyo, and she's eight years old." Josh's voice started to get softer. "And…and she's…"

"She's dying," Mikara finished the statement. "Our uncle, aunt, and grandmother are with her at the hospital. Mom and Dad are leaving for the hospital in half and hour, I think."

Everyone was silent. That silence was broken when Daiki cried out, "Look what _I_ found!"

Eight heads turned to see Daiki squatting at a corner of the room. He leaned back, and when he did, the others could see a reddish digital field, with lines and everything. A mist was seeping out from it. Two demonic eyes were glowing in the field.

"What…_is_ that?" Compass asked, backing away.

"Daiki, get away from that corner!" Riki demanded. "Don't touch it!"

Daiki backed off, glaring at his brother.

David turned to Lina. "Get Mom and Dad and everyone else. Now!"

Lina needed no second bidding. She turned and ran for their parents.


	2. Here We Go

_Author's Note_: Thanks for reviewing! I'm so glad you guys like it. Well, here's part two.

—————

Chapter Two

Here We Go

Lina came running back to the Activity Center with their parents trailing behind her. The kids crowded around the field while their parents stared at it with wonder and anxiety.

"What is it, Dad?" Compass asked.

Kazu shook his head. "No way!"

Rika looked ready to scream. "Kazu, why didn't you close it!?"

"I didn't know there _was _one!"

A sinister voice floated from the field. "The kidsss…" it hissed, like a snake. "The kidsss mussst come…we need them!"

"It…it sounds like a snake…" Takato murmured.

"Is it Sandiramon?" Henry wondered, putting a hand in his pocket.

"I don't know…" Jeri admitted. "Maybe it's a _good_ Digimon."

Kazu looked at her. "Are you crazy? Do you think a good Digimon has a voice like _that_?"

Jeri shrugged. "I don't know. It was only a _guess_, Kazu."

The kids looked at each other.

"It wants us," Riku said. "It wants us to go to it."

"But…what's a Digimon?" Riki wanted to know.

Kenta sighed. "I guess we have to tell them, right guys?"

The others nodded.

Takato sat down on a beanbag chair and looked straight at his children. "I'll begin. Digimon are digital monsters—data—that live in the Digital World. They are living creatures too, and when we were kids, they entered our world via a Digital Field—a small foggy cloud. We had Digimon of our own, too, and they fought the bad Digimon. We found a way into the Digital World to fight off the evil." Takato gestured to the portal in the corner. "After many, many, _many_ loses, wins, and adventures, we fulfilled our destiny and peace was once again restored to both worlds."

"Wow, Dad," Lina commented. "Is that what your latest movie is based on?"

Takato shook his head. "No. We wanted to keep the secret of the Digimon away from you kids, because we didn't want to lose you. We want you to stay here with us and lead normal lives."

Mikara, who had been sitting down, stood up abruptly and glared at her parents. "How _could_ you? You've kept this a secret from us all our lives and you're telling us _now_? We've got destinies too, you know, and ours seems to be the same as yours was. You _knew_ this would happen?"

Suzie nodded reluctantly.

"Then why the hell didn't you _tell_ us?" Mikara exploded. "We need to know these things too, you know!"

Sado interrupted his daughter. "Now see here, young lady! We don't want you getting hurt—"

"Sado, stop," Suzie said quietly. "Mikara's right. We should've told them. I became a Tamer when I was only seven. It's not right to keep the secret of the Digimon from them."

Adeline nodded. "Suzie's right. We should tell them _everything_."

And so the former Tamers told their kids everything they knew about Digimon. When they were done, there was a silence so great that a knife could cut it.

"So you're going off to the Digital World," Eru said softly. "Good luck."

The kids nodded. They stood up and walked to the portal. Lina crouched down and said to the glowing red eyes, "We're going."

Nine glowing things shot out from the portal and landed in the kids' hands. They looked like D-powers, except the colors were inverted and there was no fastener.

Riki got a gold one.

Josh got a yellow one.

Lina got a purple-and-white one.

David got a black one.

Riku got a green-and-white one.

Daiki got a gray one.

Compass got a gray-navy one.

Mikara got a sapphire one.

Riley got a pale purple one.

"What…are these?" Riku wondered.

Henry looked at them. "They look like D-powers."

"Yeah, only different…" Jeri added.

"What're they called?" Riley asked her parents.

"Let's call them D-forces!" Josh piped up suddenly.

Takato nodded. "All right. It's settled. They're D-forces. David, Lina, look after each other."

Rika hugged her sons while Henry said, "Riki, look after Daiki."

"Okay Dad," Riki replied.

"Be careful, okay Compass?" Kazu told his daughter.

"No problem, Dad!"

"Don't stray far from the others, Riley!"

"'Kay Mom."

"Mikara, look after Josh, okay?" Suzie said.

"Can do, Mom!" Mikara exclaimed, throwing a mock salute.

"Riku, be careful out there, okay?" Ryo told his daughter.

"Don't worry, Dad."

"All righty then!" Lina exclaimed. She held out her D-force. "Let's rock and roll, gang! Let's go to the Digital World!"

From the portal, a white light engulfed the kids and sucked them in.

They had done it.

They were going to the Digital World.


	3. In the Digital World

Chapter Three

In the Digital World

"Riley…"

Riley groaned.

"Riley, wake up…"

"Five more minutes…" Riley grumbled, trying to turn over on her side.

"Riley, wake up!"

Riley groaned again.

"WAKE UP!"

Riley suddenly sat bolt upright, and stared at the thing that was sitting on her lap. It was a red blob with three squishy horns on its head. It had big eyes that held a curious expression.

"What the hell is going on!?!?!?!?" Riley screamed.

The red blob flinched, then said, "I'll tell you what's going on—you're in the Digital World! Welcome! I'm Punimon, your Digimon partner!"

Riley calmed down. "Pu…ni…mon?"

"Yup, yup, yup!" Punimon exclaimed happily, jumping up and down.

Riley picked up the hopping Digimon and stood up. "So we're in the Digital World. Where's everyone else?"

"Riley! Hey—Riley, over here!" came a voice. There was a loud crashing sound and Lina staggered from the underbrush, followed by another Digimon.

"Lina!" Riley cried. "Are you okay? Where's everyone else? And who's that Digimon?"

Lina dusted herself off and picked up the Digimon beside her. "This is Nuliumon."

The little Digimon grinned. "Hi!" she greeted.

"So…where are the others?" Riley wondered.

"Well, Daiki is over there," Lina answered, pointing to where she had come from. "C'mon—we can't just stand here all day."

The two girls stomped through the bushes until they arrived in a clearing. Daiki and a gray oval-shaped Digimon with a fox's tail were sitting patiently.

"Hi guys!" Daiki called, waving to them. He stood up and pointed at the Digimon beside him. "This is my Digimon, Vizzmon. Isn't he the coolest?"

Vizzmon grinned cheekily.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool, Daiki," Riley said. "We have to find the others. Let's go."

The trio walked for a while until they saw David and Compass talking. Both had Digimon. David's Digimon was a small green plant-like thing, and Compass' Digimon looked like a little black glob with two green leaves on its head.

"David!" Lina called out. She ran to her brother. "David, how are ya?"

David adjusted his glasses. "I'm fine. I found Compass a few minutes ago with her Digimon. Speaking of which…meet Leafmon."

Leafmon squeaked a greeting. "Hello, friends of David!"

"And my Digimon's Sosuntmon," Compass added.

"Have you found anyone else?" Sosuntmon asked the others.

Riley shook her head. "No, not yet. You?"

"No," David replied.

"Me neither," said Compass.

Daiki said, "We better keep walking."

"Good idea. There are only four of us left to find."

—————

"Aaaaahhhhh!" screamed Riku. She and her Digimon partner, Yuimon (a small green blob), ran and ran and ran, away from a huge green Snimon.

"Riku, hold on!" Riki, who was running with her, yelled. "I've got an idea." He swiftly turned around to face the giant bug. "Snamon, get 'im!"

The blue and yellow-striped snake jumped forward, and bit the Snimon. "Chibi Bite!"

It had no effect on the Snimon.

Riku grabbed the boy by the arm. "Let's just get out of here!"

Meanwhile, Lina and the others saw the huge Snimon coming.

"Run for it!" Compass roared. She and the others turned and fled.

Two squeaky voices suddenly yelled, "Bubble Blow!"

Mikara and Josh ran from the side with their Digimon.

"Chowmon!" Mikara cried, looking at the light brown ball of fluff beside her.

"Poyomon!" Josh chimed in, looking at his jelly-like Digimon.

"Attack!" both yelled.

The two small Digimon jumped at the Snimon. "Bubble Blow!" they yelled. The Snimon merely swatted the bubbles away.

The nine kids stood in a group, their Digimon standing in front of them.

"How are we going to _beat_ that thing, whatever it is?" Riki wondered out loud.

"It's called a Snimon, and it uses its deadly arm scythes to kill its enemies," Snamon informed.

"That's nice to know," Riku said sarcastically.

Nuliumon jumped forward. "We're going to beat the crap outta that thing!" she screamed. "Let's go!"

The other Digimon jumped forward, ready to attack the Snimon.

"No!" cried Daiki. "Vizzmon!"

Suddenly, the kids' D-forces glowed.

"Vizzmon digivolve to…Fenamon!"

"Poyomon digivolve to…Tokomon!"

"Chowmon digivolve to…Konekomon!"

"Leafmon digivolve to…Minomon!"

"Yuimon digivolve to…Oakimon!"

"Snamon digivolve to…Baslimon!"

"Nuliumon digivolve to…Tavmon!"

"Sosuntmon digivolve to…Amarillamon!"

"Punimon digivolve to…Tsunomon!"

Nine In-Training Digimon stood before the Tamers.

"Ready gang?" Tavmon yelled.

"Ready!" the others cried.

"Then attack!"

The In-Training Digimon charged at the huge green bug. "Bubble Blow!" seven of them cried.

Oakimon's head leaf twirled around, sending razor-sharp leaves flying at the Snimon. "Boomerange Leaf!"

Baslimon, on the other hand, bit into the Snimon's leg as he yelled, "Bite!"

The attacks did little affect on the Snimon, though. He merely swatted them away and screeched.

"It's no use!" Konekomon told Mikara. "We're too weak!"

"What'll we do, then?" Compass asked.

"You must hide!" said a voice. The Tamers looked to their right and saw a girl standing in front of a tree. She had shoulder-length black hair in a ponytail and dark brown eyes. She wore an army camouflage t-shirt and baggy cargo pants. Standing beside her was a Gummymon.

"How'd…how'd _you_ get here?" Josh asked.

"There's no time to explain," the girl pointed out. "Follow me if you wish to live."

She turned and disappeared into the tree. Her Digimon followed her.

"Well?" Riki asked the others.

"We've got no choice," Tsunomon said. "Let's go."

The Tamers and their Digimon ran and disappeared into the tree. They stood inside it for a moment, wondering why it was metal inside, when the floor opened up and sucked them in.

"Hold on to your hats!" Daiki cracked.

"Very funny, Daiki!" Fenamon screamed, shutting his eyes.

Down they spiraled, ever downwards, in a seemingly fathomless pit…


	4. The First Test

_Author's Note_: Sorry I haven't been able to update. My dad banned me from the computer for "a week", but today he let me on. Sorry for the wait.

Chapter Four

The First Test

The Tamers were falling…falling…falling…

WHUMP!

Groans emanated from the Tamers as they landed on the ground. Standing a few feet away was the strange girl.

"Geez. You guys sure don't know how to land on your feet," she declared.

Riku was the first to get up. "Oh, and _you_ know how to?" she demanded.

"Sure I do," the strange girl replied. "Well, since your rear ends are hurting like mad, I think it'll do you some good to get a bath and eat supper."

Josh and Daiki sprang up at the mention of food. "We want food! We want food!" they chanted.

The girl glared at them. "You'll have to take a bath first."

The two boys pouted. "Aw, man!" Josh muttered, kicking the ground.

—————

The girl led the Tamers to a village. Large huts of stone and clay filled the village, and Digimon moved about, doing their own chores. In the center of the village was a well. An elderly Digimon—Jijimon—saw the Tamers and walked to them.

"Oh, hello, Jessica," Jijimon greeted the girl. "You found them?"

"Sure did, Jijimon," Jessica replied. "And what did I tell you? I want to be called 'Jessie'."

Jijimon nodded. "Oh, yes, I remember. It's my old age. I'm forgetting things. Anyway, would you like to introduce yourselves, Tamers of legend?" Jijimon asked the nine kids.

The Tamers introduced themselves and their Digimon.

Jessie looked at Jijimon. "Are they the correct Tamers, Jijimon?"

Jijimon nodded "Yes. Hm-hm… You there—the girl—um, what's your name again?"

Lina pointed to herself. "Me? I'm Lina Matsuki."

Jijimon nodded again. "Oh, yes, hm-hm. Prophecy clearly states…ah, what does it state again? Oh dear. Piximon!"

A Piximon shot out from the nearest hut holding a big red book. Piximon opened it and read out loud, "When darkness falls upon the land, ten Tamers shall come to our island. The ten Digimon of the prophecy will awaken, and they will meet their Tamers. When the hour strikes and the sun has vanished at noon, their first enemy will strike. The one with goggles shall lead, for it has been a mark for the bygone Tamers and it will be a mark for the Tamers to come."

Jijimon nodded for a third time. "Yes…Lani was it? Oh, sorry, Lina. Hm-hm, forgetting names again, Jijimon!" The Mega-level Digimon laughed. "Oh, hm-hm. Lina, you're to lead. And, hm-hm, the sun vanishes at noon…what are they called again?"

"Solar eclipses?" Jessie suggested.

"Ah, yes, that's it! Hm-hm, yes…" Jijimon turned and slowly walked to his hut. "Hm-hm…when the solar eclipse comes, your first test shall arrive…"

—————

Two days later…

Riku turned on her laptop and opened realworld.exe. She typed in the password and logged on. A window popped up on the screen, and the previous Tamers were standing with anxious faces.

Riku's eyes widened. "Mom? Dad?"

Ryo pushed through the others. "Riku! Where's everyone else?"

"The dining room," Riku replied. "Two days ago, we found a village—actually, no, we were lead to a village by a girl and her Gummymon. Well, anyway, we've found our Digimon and our destiny. The elder Digimon, Jijimon, said that our first test will come when at the solar eclipse."

"The solar eclipse!" Rika cried. "Why, that's going on right now!"

Riku's eyes widened. She looked to the window and noticed it was considerably darker. Riku checked her laptop clock and saw that it was 11:45 AM.

Riley rushed in from the dining room. "Fifteen minutes to go, Riku! You better move your butt before we're all toast." She noticed the computer screen. "Oh! Hi Mom! Hi Dad!"

"Riley! Are you all right?" yelled Kenta.

"I'm perfectly fine, Dad. The food was delicious, and the bath was great, too! And our Digimon digivolved to In-Training when we were fighting a Snimon, but we weren't able to defeat it. But I hope our Digimon digivolve again to—"

Tsunomon hopped into the room and looked up at his partner. "Riley, you talk too much."

Riku turned to look at her parents. "Mom, Dad, I have to go now."

"All right," Sakura replied. "Just be careful. Mr. and Mrs. Neko will be heading for the hospital in five minutes, so tell Mikara and Josh, okay?"

"I will."

Takato managed to get in front of the computer screen. "Riku…tell the others that their parents are here waiting for them. We're right by your sides…be careful…and tell them that we wish you guys the best of luck."

Riku managed a small smile. "Okay, Mr. Matsuki."

The connection was severed. Riku logged off and turned off her laptop. She stuck it back in her bag and walked into the dining room with Riley.

"Five minutes to go, guys," Riki told everyone, glancing at his watch.

"What do you think our test will be?" Lina asked Compass.

Compass shrugged. "Who knows?"

The minutes ticked by slowly. Silence reigned in the dining room as the Tamers and their Digimon waited. The Digimon who were outside went to their huts and locked the doors. The sky grew darker, ever darker, as the sun was swallowed up.

"Ten seconds!" Riki suddenly yelled. "Nine…eight…seven…six…get ready guys…four…three…two…"

A horrible screech ripped through the air. The Tamers and their Digimon ran outside to see a little Digimon running from a Snimon. The Snimon cornered the little Digimon and raised a scythe to strike.

"It's the Snimon from earlier!" Fenamon exclaimed.

Gummymon jumped forward. "Yeah, and this time we'll beat it. Right guys?"

"Right!" the other Digimon cried.

The Tamers' D-forces glowed with brilliant light. The light distracted the Snimon, making it forget about the little Digimon.

"Let's do it! Gummymon digivolve to…Terriermon!"

"Minomon digivolve to…Wormmon!"

"Konekomon digivolve to…Nekomon!"

"Amarillamon digivolve to…Morglormon!"

"Tokomon digivolve to…Patamon!"

"Baslimon digivolve to…Vipomon!"

"Tavmon digivolve to…Sytamon!"

"Oakimon digivolve to…Petalmon!"

"Tsunomon digivolve to…Gabumon!"

"Fenamon digivolve to…Tetramon!"

Daiki jumped up and down. "Yay! Now we can beat Snimon! Show 'im who's boss, Tetramon!"

"Can do, Daiki!" Tetramon leaped at the Snimon and swiped at its face. "Paw Swipe!"

Morglormon sent a cloud of sickly green mist at Snimon. "Fungus Crusher!"

"Sticky Net!" Wormmon yelled. Strands of webbing caught the Snimon in the eye. The Snimon screeched and tried to claw at the webbing.

Sytamon's white facial markings glowed. A thin beam of light came down from the darkened sun and hit the middle triangle on Sytamon's forehead. Her eyes glowed as she blasted a ball of solar energy at Snimon: "Prism Sun!"

"Fireball!" Vipomon yelled as a ball of fire escaped his mouth.

Nekomon's eyes glowed bright red. Beams shot out of them as she said, "Eye Beam!"

The Snimon was down, but it was not deleted. It tried getting up, but it fell down again.

"Let's finish it off!" Riku told the others. "Petalmon!"

The winged plant jumped forward. Petalmon gathered solar energy in the flower atop her head, then shot it out at the Snimon. "Energy Beam!"

"Boom Bubble!" Patamon cried as a large blast of air escaped his mouth.

Terriermon spun around till he created a mini tornado. "Terrier Tornado!"

Gabumon blasted a thin stream of blue fire at the Snimon. "Blue Blaster!"

The same horrible screech tore through the air as Gabumon's attack hit the Snimon. The bug's huge wings spread out and buzzed furiously, but it was no use. The Snimon fell, causing a huge dust cloud to rise. There was a sound like something was vanishing. As the dust cloud rose and disappeared, flecks of data rose with it and flew away on the breeze.

—————

_Author's Note_: That was…kind of sad, wasn't it? But there'll be sadder things, I think. Well, it's not over yet, so keep reading!


	5. The Journey Begins

_Author's Note_: Thank you _so_ much for reviewing! I'm glad that many/all of you like my fanfiction! I couldn't have made it this far without those who contributed. Thanks again!

—————

Chapter Five

The Journey Begins

Lina suddenly dropped to her knees. "We're so cruel!" she sobbed. "We overpowered it! We used too many attacks! We're so…we're so cruel!"

Jessie put a hand on Lina's shoulder. "It's okay. We did what we had to do. If we didn't destroy it, it would've gone off to wreck havoc on other villages. We did a good thing. We saved that Nyaromon's life." Jessie gestured to the little Digimon that Snimon had attacked. "Besides, when Digimon die, their data gets reconfigured and they return as eggs in Primary Village."

Lina wiped away unshed tears. "Okay. I think…I think I'm okay now."

Mikara nodded. "That's good." She looked at the ground. "Hey, the solar eclipse is moving away!"

"How can you tell? You're not even looking at it!" Josh wanted to know.

"Well, it's a lot brighter, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah."

Mikara grinned. "See what I mean? Hey, it's Jijimon. Jijimon! We defeated Snimon!"

The short bearded Digimon shuffled towards the Tamers. "Yes, hm-hm, you did, hm, whatever-your-name-is,"—Mikara opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself—"you did. Hm-hm. All is well. Come to my hut. I think you should know something."

The Tamers followed Jijimon to his hut. Jijimon opened an ancient book, the edges frayed and the pages crinkled, and donned a pair of reading glasses. With utmost care, Jijimon turned the pages of the book until he stopped, read a few paragraphs, then looked up.

"Yes, hm-hm," he said. "Of course. Prophecy says that…hm…the evil is known as Satanmon and VileDevimon. Hm, yes, of course. Rumor has it that they reside at Devimon's Castle at the top of…hm, what was the name?"

"Mount Infinite?" Terriermon suggested.

"Ah, hm, yes, that's the name! Hm-hm…" Jijimon read a few more paragraphs. "Hm, yes, Mount Infinite is at the center of this island."

"Then let's go to Mount Infinite!" Riku exclaimed.

Lina nodded. "Right." She turned to Jijimon. "Thank you, Jijimon, for your hospitality. We hope to see you again some day!"

"And I wish you good luck on your, hm-hm, what's it called again? Ah, yes, journey! Good luck on your journey," Jijimon told the kids.

The Tamers grabbed their bags, which had been packed with extra food as well as other necessary things, and left the hut. As they left, they said goodbye to the friends they had made at the village.

Jijimon smiled. "They are good, hm-hm, yes they are." He adjusted his reading glasses and skimmed through the pages. Suddenly, he stopped while he was turning a page and flipped back a couple of pages. His eyes, hidden underneath thick locks of gray hair, widened. "Hm! Oh no! I didn't tell them about this!"

—————

"We're the—" Lina sang, slightly off-key.

"DEEE-STINED TAMERS!" the others chorused.

"And we will—"

"SAAAVE THE WORLD!"

"So don't you—"

"STAAAND IN OUR WAY!"

"Yeah, coz nothing—"

"STAAANDS—"

Riley coughed suddenly. The others stopped singing to see what was wrong.

"It's okay," Riley said hoarsely. "My throat's just dry from singing."

Gabumon suddenly yelled, "I can see Devimon's Castle! We're almost here!"

The Tamers walked on, this time without singing. When they reached the front steps of the castle, they looked up in silence.

"This doesn't look like a castle," Josh stated. "This looks like the Lincoln Memorial in America. I remember seeing it when I visited Washington D.C. in the States."

Jessie started walking up the steps, followed by Terriermon. "Well, let's go. Satanmon and VileDevimon aren't going to conquer this world while we sit and chitchat about some places called America and Washington D.C."

"You've never been there?" Josh asked as the others walked up the steps too.

"No. I've lived here as long as I can remember. My parents disappeared two years ago, so I'm the only one left. It's a good thing Terriermon's with me."

The Tamers walked up the many steps. Nekomon kept count, and she tallied a hundred. Tired and out of breath, they finally reached the top and sat down in front of the door.

"Great," Riki said flatly. "Now we've got to open a door that's probably ten times our height."

Mikara wearily stood up. She pulled on a brass ring in the center of the door. The door didn't budge. "What a load of crap!" she cried. "First we have to climb up hundreds of steps—"

"Only _one_ hundred, Mikara," Nekomon corrected. "I counted them."

"Whatever. Anyway, we climb up one hundred steps to find out the door's locked! Damn it all!"

"We could try _kicking_ it down," Wormmon suggested.

"Good idea," David said. He stood in front of the door and looked it up and down. He looked at the ground and picked up a splinter of wood. He then said, "But it's too big for us. Why? One, we don't know its elevation. It could be ten meters or more. Two, the wood is too thick to kick a sizable hole through." He held up the splinter. "See? This is at least six inches thick. Furthermore, this door is probably as old as this mountain. It's stuck, like most doors get to be when they're twenty or more years old. So—"

Lina, who had been covering her ears, abruptly interrupted. "David! What did I tell you about ranting?!"

David sighed. "Sorry. I got carried away again. I'm always like that—too obsessed with science and observation to slow down so others can understand."

Lina uncovered her ears. She grinned at her brother. "It's okay. Next time, just say, 'We can't open the door by kicking it, so there'. Okay?"

David ignored her.

"So…how do we open the door?" Riku asked.

Patamon flew to the door and peered at it. "Look, there's something written in Digicode. It's says, 'To open, push'." Patamon pushed the door, and it slowly creaked open

The Tamers stared at each other. Compass broke the silence by saying, "We are _so_ stupid, and this door is _so_ lame. What's the point of a brass doorknocker-slash-whatever-it-is if you have to _push_ the door?"

The Tamers and their Digimon entered the door. Lina and Riku were at the front with Josh, Compass, and Riki behind them. Daiki, Riley, and Jessie followed, and David and Mikara were at the back.

"Is she always like that to you?" Mikara asked David.

David gave her a confused look. "Who, Lina?"

"Yeah."

David shrugged. "She's my sister. She's always yelling at me for being such a techno-geek that it's not funny anymore."

Mikara frowned, feeling much pity for the boy. "I'm sorry."

"That's what everyone says, but most don't mean it."

—————

The castle was deserted. The Tamers had checked every room they could find, including the throne room and the Great Hall. Seven Tamers were currently in the entrance hall.

"This is getting us _nowhere_!" Riku exclaimed angrily. "We've found _nothing_!"

Compass, Daiki, and Josh came in from a side room. Compass carried a cardboard box in her arms and a grin on her face.

"Look what we found!" Daiki exclaimed.

"It's super!" Tetramon added.

"Eggs!" Josh chirped. "Cool ones too!"

Compass set the box in the center of the entrance hall and picked up an egg. "This one looks neat."

"It says 'Digieggs: used for Armor digivolution' on the side," Patamon translated, peering at the box.

Every Tamer picked up a Digiegg.

"What's Armor digivolution?" Lina wanted to know.

"It's when a Digimon digivolves to the Armor stage," explained Jessie. "When a Digimon Armor digivolves, they are stronger than Rookie but slightly weaker than Champion. There are also Golden Digieggs, and the Digimon yielded from one of them is slightly weaker than an Ultimate."

Riku smirked. "_Awesome_."

Suddenly, Jijimon came running in through the main door.

"Jijimon!" everyone yelled in surprise.

Panting, Jijimon nodded. "Hm, yes. I forgot to tell you—Satanmon and VileDevimon no longer live here. They moved a year ago to the continent of Server."

There was a moment of silence. Mikara then yelled, "Then why didn't you _tell_ us?"

"Hm? Oh, well, I _am_…hm-hm, how old _am_ I?…oh, yes, I'm five thousand years old. Hm…I have a very short memory span."

"We can tell," Riku said curtly.

Jijimon ignored her. "Come," he said. "Airdramon will fly you to Server."

—————

Four days passed as the Tamers flew to Server. Those who were afraid of heights were happy to land on the fifth day. The Tamers said farewell to Airdramon, who flew back to File Island, and continued on their quest. After walking across a field, they reached high cliff walls.

"Oh great," Riki muttered. "How are we going to get up there?"

"Beats me," said Jessie. "I know some of our Digimon can fly or climb up, but I'm not so sure about us. I could scale maybe twenty feet, but this is probably twenty _yards_!"

Lina peered at the top of a cliff wall, shielding her eyes from the sun. "We have to find _some_ way up. Come on—let's start climbing. Our Digimon can help too."

So the Tamers, none of them expert mountain climbers, started up the cliff wall. Their Digimon helped them along the way, flapping their wings or digging their claws in the rock. They were, however, getting nowhere.

"This is _useless_!" Riku cried, hanging onto Petalmon's vines. "There's no way we can climb this wall!"

A sudden rumbling noise diverted the Tamers' attention. The cliff wall shook violently and split straight in the middle.

"Wha…what's going on?" Josh screamed, clinging to the cliff face.

A purple digital stream erupted from the gap in the cliff and followed the wind, heading east. The stream hit Riki, Compass, Jessie, Daiki, Riku, and their Digimon and sucked them into the sky. The other five Tamers clung onto the western cliff face.

"_Rikuuuu_!_ Come baaack_!" Lina cried, knowing that her friend could not hear her.


	6. The Canyon of Toys

_Author's Note_: Again, thank you for the reviews. Some observant readers have noticed a few loopholes in my writing. I'm here to say, well, what I have to say!

1) Poetic license. I know all there is to know about the Tamers universe. However, my storyline differs from the plotline of Tamers. I allow Armor digivolution because the Digimon have not learned how to digivolve correctly…yet. So if I want Armor digivolution, I will get Armor digivolution. Please do not tell me how to write my stories. I accept constructive critisism, ideas, suggestions, and corrections. But please do not tell me that Armor digivolution does not exist in the Tamers' world, because I wouldn't be an insane Digimon lover if I didn't know that already.

2) I realize that I am using the ideas from real Digimon episodes. However, 80% of my inspiration comes from the episodes and other writers' fanfics. Again, please don't tell me how to write my story. I will use what I must. After all, the disclaimer is there for a reason. :) This chapter has been inspired by the episode "Kazu and Kenta's Excellent Adventure" with more action in it (no, not the humans fighing the humans), and…I can't tell you anymore!

3) Cards. Well…*evil grin*…you'll have to see how the Tamers get their cards…

—————

Chapter Six

The Canyon of Toys

"AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

WHUMP!

Five Tamers and their Digimon landed on a sand dune. They staggered to their feet and looked around. They were standing in a canyon with high cliff walls. The bottom was covered with sand and large boulders.

"Where are we?" Riki asked.

"Somewhere really sandy," Vipomon commented, looking at the ground.

A few balls of old data rolled away in the distance.

"What are those?" Daiki wanted to know, watching the balls of data roll away. "Are they digital tumbleweeds?"

"They're bunches of old data. Wherever we are," said Jessie, "lots of old data is collected here. Do you think it's used for something?"

Riku shrugged. "Let's keep going. Maybe we'll find a way out of this mess."

So the Tamers walked on. Eventually, they found a village…of some sort. The houses were made of Legos and looked like mushrooms. Fish flags were attached to the tops of the houses.

"Fish flags?" Compass wondered out loud. "They look like the ones we use on Children's Day."

"Is it Children's Day today?" Daiki asked his brother.

"No," Riki replied. "In the Real World, Children's Day is in five months."

"Oh…right."

A sudden gust of wind stopped the conversation. In fact, the wind was so strong it stopped the Tamers in their tracks and lifted them into the air. They were swept away towards the nearest house and landed threw a hole in the roof.

"Ugh…where are we?" Compass groaned, rubbing her head.

"Welcome to our humble abode," a ToyAgumon greeted them.

"Would you like to explain your intrusion?" a ClearAgumon asked.

The Tamers stared at them. They looked at each other in confusion.

"Uh, well, we got swept away by the wind, if that's suitable enough," Riki told the two Digimon.

The ClearAgumon glared at the ToyAgumon. "How many times have I told you to fix that roof? It's been nearly four years!"

"I'm sorry, dear. I haven't been to the brick quarry in _ages_ ever since the wind started picking up," came the reply.

Riku pulled out her D-force and got data on the Digimon. "ToyAgumon: Rookie level. His attacks are Toy Flame and Block Punch. ClearAgumon: Rookie level. Her attacks are Precious Flame and Dream Missile. Well, whaddya know. They're married!"

ToyAgumon smiled. "Yup! For ten years!" He turned to his wife. "ClearAgumon, let's get food and a bath ready for our guests, even though they intruded on our territory."

Jessie, Riki, Compass, and Riku smiled and bowed to the Digimon. "Thank you for your hospitality!" they exclaimed.

Daiki, on the other hand, groaned. "Aw, man! A _bath_?"

—————

"All right, Daiki, your turn to take a bath!" Riki called out. "Come on—this bathtub is _great_!"

Daiki pouted as his brother ushered him into the bathroom. Daiki's jaw dropped. The bathtub was a pool in an underground cave!

The Tamers had spent a well-deserved rest that day, for the wind was still howling. Compass and Riku were sitting in front of the fire while Jessie was speaking with ToyAgumon. Riki was raiding the refrigerator of available desserts while Daiki…well, Daiki was actually _enjoying _his bath.

"So you're searching for Satanmon and VileDevimon?" ToyAgumon asked Jessie. "Well, we don't know much about their whereabouts, but he's somewhere west of here."

"I guess we head west, then," Compass said, overhearing the conversation.

"Yeah, we do," replied Jessie, sitting between her friends. "I wonder how the others are doing."

"Yeah," Terriermon agreed, staring into the fire. "Do you think we could contact each other?"

Riku took out her laptop. "Well, how? I mean…it's not like we've got email or Instant Messages."

Morglormon grinned. "The D-forces!"

"The…D-forces…?"

"That's right!" Compass exclaimed suddenly. She jumped up, grabbed her D-force, and attacked Riku's laptop. The computer was starting up, so Compass had to impatiently wait. When the laptop was ready, Compass tried hooking up her D-force to the laptop.

"Here, let me," Riku said curtly. She attached the D-force to the laptop and watched as a window popped up on the screen.

"You've got mail!" the annoying, over-ecstatic sound of JOL's (Japan Online) electronic voice greeted the kids.

"Stupid computer," Riku grumbled. She clicked on the mail icon, and up popped around two-dozen messages.

"Whoa, Riku, you've got a ton of email! Who emails you?" Compass cried, almost falling off her stool.

"It's just junk."

Riku scrolled down until she saw something that made her stop. She clicked on a link and another window popped up. All who were present (which included Riki, who had come in from the kitchen to eat, and Daiki, who had finished his bath and had changed to sleep clothes) stared at the screen with a sense of dread as an electronic yet clearly sinister voice said, "…I'm coming at midnight…"

"What…the…damned…hell…" Riki said slowly.

"Someone must've recorded that voice and sent it on email," Daiki observed.

"Wow, Sherlock," Riku said sarcastically.

Jessie got up and started walking to the bedrooms. "We better stay on our guard. I'm not sure what would be brave enough to attack us while the wind blows strong, but stay alert. Let's get some rest. If that email is for tonight…" 

Jessie's words were drowned out as a ferocious gust of wind blew savagely against the Lego brick houses. The Tamers went to sleep without saying anything more. Outside, the wind blew and blew, heedless of any warning, and the moon shone with a red tinge.

—————

Jessie and Terriermon suddenly woke up. Having lived in the Digital World all their lives, they could sense danger when it drew near.

Terriermon's ears stood up straight as he whispered, "It's here."

Jessie scrambled out of bed and ran to the window. The only thing that was outside was the howling wind. Nevertheless, the sense of foreboding and dread was felt.

"Terriermon, go wake the boys," Jessie told her Digimon. Terriermon was off in flash.

Jessie, meanwhile, woke Riku and Compass. Neither were happy.

"What's the meaning of this?" Riku complained. "I'm trying to get my sleep!"

Compass grumbled and got out of bed. "There's nothing _out_ there, Jessie. What's up? Why did you,"—she yawned—"wake us?"

"There's something out there. Can't you feel it?" was the reply.

There was silence in the room. Compass slowly nodded. "Yeah…"

Riku's head jerked up, then down, as if she was hesitant to agree. She then sat down on her bed and sighed. "So what is it?"

"What's what?"

"Whatever's out there?"

Compass sat down next to Riku and shrugged. "Dunno. Jessie? What do _you_ think?"

Jessie's eyes narrowed as she stared out the window. "I think…it's whatever sent that email."

Her friends looked up at her with surprise and fear, but no one could say anything. A loud explosion at the other end of the house stopped the conversation and caused the girls to jump. They stood/sat in silence for a few minutes, then rushed out of the room. Daiki was standing in the open doorway with Tetramon and Terriermon.

"Where are Riki and Vipomon?" Riku asked Daiki. The boy pointed outside.

"_What_?" Petalmon screeched. "In _this_ weather?"

Daiki nodded. He squinted into the dark windy canyon. The wind stopped suddenly and a yell emanated through the air.

"It's Riki!" Compass cried. She and Morglormon ran outside, followed by Daiki, Tetramon, Riku, Petalmon, Jessie, and Terriermon. They ran across the sandy canyon floor until they saw Riki lying flat on his back with Vipomon protecting him from…_something_.

"Riki!" Daiki yelled. He and Tetramon kept running, even when the others stopped at the top of a dune.

"Daiki, wait!" Terriermon exclaimed. "It's dangerous!"

"But I've gotta help my brother!"

Riki started crawling away. He looked up at the running shadow of his brother. "Daiki, stay back!"

The huge thing that had attacked Riki growled and struck the sand in front of the boy. Riki was then borne upwards into the air by a massive hand.

"Riki!" Vipomon roared. He charged upwards on large red wings and struck the antagonist. "Mega Bite!"

The huge thing growled again and madly flapped his arm to dislodge Vipomon. The Rookie Digimon was thrown against a cliff face and fell to the ground. The huge thing stooped over Vipomon and started suffocating him.

"Vi…po…mon!" Riki said hoarsely. He coughed roughly, then yelled in a clearer voice, "VIPOMON!!!"

Riki's D-force glowed. It gave off a brilliant light that brightened the scene. The Tamers saw it in a flash—a WaruMonzaemon held Riki hostage with one paw while trying to destroy Vipomon with the other.

Riki struggled to free his arms. When he did, he was grasping his D-force and the Digiegg from Devimon's old castle. He held both items tightly while yelling, "Digi Armor energize!"

Vipomon burned with such brilliant light that the WaruMonzaemon backed away.

"Vipomon Armor digivolve to…Barbarimon, warrior of Wisdom!"

Barbarimon was a blue lizard-man with a bow and a quiver of arrows. He wore gleaming silver armor on his arms, legs, chest, and shoulders. He also wore a silver helmet with a dragon as its crest. The Crest of Wisdom was painted on his chest plate. His right hand was covered with a leather glove that also had the Crest of Wisdom on it.

"Whoa…Armor digivolution!" Riku murmured, too awed to speak in a louder tone.

There was a moment of awed silence amongst the Tamers and the Digimon. It all ended when Riki ordered, "Barbarimon, get 'im!"

The Armor Digimon fitted an arrow into his bow and released it faster than the eye could see. "Lightning Arrow!"

The blue-fletched shaft, suddenly electrified, whizzed through the air and struck the WaruMonzaemon between the eyes. The huge teddy bear growled fiercely, throwing its head back.

Barbarimon's right hand—glove and all—was alight with fire. The warrior Digimon leaped at the WaruMonzaemon and struck it in the stomach. It dropped Riki, who landed on his Digimon's back and was carried to the others on the sand dune. The Tamers and their Digimon watched as the WaruMonzaemon, electrified and burned, was deleted. The remaining data was the borne away by a gust of wind.

"Are you okay?" Jessie, Compass, Riku, and Daiki asked Riki.

Riki nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He turned to Barbarimon. "Thanks, pal. I wouldn't have gotten outta there without you."

Barbarimon smiled suddenly. "I'm your partner, Riki. That's what partners do."

—————

The next morning, the wind had stopped long enough for the Tamers and their Digimon to pack up and leave. ToyAgumon and ClearAgumon provided them enough food for their journey west.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality," Compass thanked the two Digimon.

The married Digimon smiled.

"Pleasure's all ours!"

"Yes, it is! Now scoot!"

"Dear, you don't have to be so demanding."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's how I always say goodbye to visitors!"

ToyAgumon sweatdropped.

With their goodbyes said, the Tamers followed the canyon, heading west with their backs to the rising sun.

—————

_Author's Note_: Okay…you're probably wondering how an Armor could defeat an Ultimate. Well…how could Leomon defeat Kumbhiramon in "Jeri's Quest"? Besides…electrified _and_ burned? Yikes…


	7. Water and Metal

Chapter Seven

Water and Metal

"We have to cross…_that_?" Riley asked incredulously, staring out at the lake before them.

"Sure do," Lina responded. "Well, come on, let's start…making a boat or something…"

"And how do we do that?" Josh piped up.

"Beats me."

Lina, Josh, David, Riley, Mikara, and their Digimon had scaled the cliff. After a day of walking, they had finally reached a huge lake in the center of a lush, green forest. However, there was no way they could cross the lake.

Mikara ran to the others with Nekomon trailing her. "Look what we found!" they cried.

"What is it?" Gabumon asked them.

"It's a pod of Dolphmon!" Nekomon replied. "We told them about our predicament and they've agreed to carry us across."

David was doubtful. "Can Dolphmon _do_ that? A regular dolphin in the Real World doesn't have the strength or the girth to carry a human far distances. Humans don't ride dolphins."

"But we're not dolphins," a squeaky voice said. "We're Digimon, and proud of it!"

The Tamers looked to see eight Dolphmon at the edge of the shallows. They frolicked about in the water, jumping and splashing.

"It's not like we have a choice," Sytamon pointed out.

"You're right," Lina agreed. "Come on, let's go."

The Tamers and their Digimon swam to the Dolphmon, who waited patiently. They climbed onto the backs of the Digimon. Everyone was doing fine, except for Sytamon. She had trouble holding on.

"Relax!" the Dolphmon she was riding squeaked. "We'll get there double-time if you need us to."

"That would be nice," Sytamon admitted.

"Right then! Power those tails!"

The Dolphmon swam faster, heading towards the opposite side of the lake. However, when they were three-quarters of the way across, the Dolphmon slowed down.

"Tired already?" Patamon wondered.

"No," the Dolphmon he was riding answered, swimming cautiously. "We're in Gesomon's territory now. Gesomon doesn't mind us if we stay in our own side of the lake, but he cannot tolerate visitors."

"Then," Wormmon said, "shouldn't we…speed up?"

"Swimming faster would create waves to tell Gesomon that we're here," stated the lead Dolphmon.

"Oh…"

The Dolphmon swam slowly, towards the nearing shore. But Gesomon was already awake. And it was already aware of their presence. It was waiting…waiting for the right moment to strike…

"Yaaaaahhhh!" Josh screamed as a gigantic white limb erupted from below the water's surface.

"It's Gesomon! He knows we're here!" Patamon yelled.

"Swim!" the lead Dolphmon roared. The eight Dolphmon swam hard, their muscled tails pumping up and down for speed.

Suddenly, another white limb threw Josh, Patamon, and the Dolphmon they were riding into the air. The three of them landed in the water. Josh floundered about, making big splashes with his arms. The hood of a giant white squid poked from the water's surface and headed for the boy.

"Help!" he cried. "I…I can't swim! No—honest—I can't!"

"Josh!" Mikara screeched. She turned and dived into the lake, ignoring the danger. From underneath the surface, Mikara could see the disgusting squid.

"Mikara, no!" Nekomon yelped helplessly.

"Mikara!" David roared. He turned in his seat but was pulled back by Wormmon.

"Don't dive in, David!" the Insectoid Digimon pleaded.

David glared in frustration at the floundering ten-year-old boy and the thirteen-year-old girl that was swimming towards him.

"Boom Bubble!" Patamon screamed, letting loose a blast of air. It hit the hood of Gesomon. The squid stopped and glared at the flying yellow Digimon, then continued towards Josh.

"P-Patamon!" Josh sputtered. "Mikara…Mikara! Pata…"—Josh went under for a second, but he broke the surface again—"…Patamon! H-help me!"

Mikara had almost reached her brother, but the Gesomon had reached Josh first. It grabbed the boy in one of its limbs and held him high above the water. Riley, Lina, and Mikara screamed. David sat silently, but his face held anger and fear. The Digimon were trembling, unable to help.

Except Patamon. The little flying Digimon was the only one who saw Josh's D-force start to glow. Josh seemed to notice too, because he looked down at his D-force.

"Josh! I'm going to help you!" Patamon squeaked determinedly. "But first, you must help _me_."

Josh struggled against Gesomon's grip, but stopped, muttered a little prayer of help, and yelled, "Digi Armor energize!"

The light that shimmered around Patamon's small body blinded everyone watching.

"Patamon Armor digivolve to…Pegasusmon, flying Hope!"

"Whoa!" Lina exclaimed. "It's…an Armor-level Digimon!"

Pegasusmon glared down at Gesomon, his shining golden wings spread wide. "You've caused enough trouble today, and you shall pay for your actions."

The underside of Pegasusmon's wings turned black and twinkled with millions of stars, just like the night sky. Pegasusmon then reared back and flapped his wings, causing dozens of stars to shoot from them. "Star Shower!"

The stars hit Gesomon's head. The giant white squid scowled at Pegasusmon.

"Coral Crusher!" Gesomon yelled, striking Pegasusmon with a limb.

The winged horse flapped to regain his balance before attacking again.

"Equus Beam!" A green triangular beam of energy hit Gesomon square in the head, causing it to drop Josh. The boy landed with a splash next to Mikara. A riderless Dolphmon swam up beside the two and brought them to shore where the others were waiting.

Meanwhile, Pegasusmon was having trouble. The Gesomon had knocked him into the water. Pegasusmon's waterlogged feathers couldn't allow the air to pass through them.

Suddenly a barrage of Pulse Blasts attacked Gesomon. The squid wasn't able to counter attack.

"Do it, Pegasusmon!" Josh ordered.

Pegasusmon's golden wings blackened once again, and the stars hurtled from them towards the enemy. The Gesomon was knocked out, and a quick Equus Beam deleted it.

—————

Later that day…

"Are you guys going to be okay?" Choromon asked the Tamers, its tail blinking.

Riley nodded. "Yes, we're all right, thanks to you guys."

"Yeah," Lina agreed. "It's a good thing this village was near the lake shore."

Choromon smiled. "Well, we thank you for destroying Gesomon. He's been threatening to destroy our village for some time now. Well, we've packed you adequate food. Good luck on your quest, my friends!"

"We'll see you soon!" Josh chirped ecstatically. He was so happy that Patamon had Armor digivolved that he was ready to continue the quest.

"Goodbye!" the village of Digimon, who had gathered to say farewell, called to the Tamers as they walked off through the forest.

"See ya!" Mikara exclaimed, waving her hand.

"Bye! Thank you for the food!" Josh added.

"We hope to see you again!" Riley chimed.

And so the Tamers headed deeper into the forest towards the unknown. But regardless of the danger, they headed west, into the setting sun.


	8. Divided, But Still Strong

Author's Note: IT'S FINALLY WORKING!!! YAY!!! Ahem…sorry for the inconvenience, my faithful readers, but I was having trouble logging in. So, after a month of waiting…I'm in! Yay!

—————

Chapter Eight

Divided, but Still Strong

Jessie, Riki, Compass, Riku, Daiki, and their Digimon finally got out of the canyon after a day of walking. However, the sight that greeted them was not at all pleasant.

"We—have—to—cross—a—damned—desert!" Riki growled. "This—is—_not_—my—day!!!"

"It's no one's day, Riki," Riku said pointedly. "We better keep going. It's going to be a long…hot…day…"

The Tamers and their Digimon walked on…for a while…under the heat. By midday, they were slouching from weariness and their pace was slowed. Daiki was fanning himself with his baseball cap, Jessie had her eyes shielded from the sun's rays with her hand, Compass was panting hard, Riku was trying not to look tried, and Riki was trying not to stumble as he walked.

The Digimon were in no better condition. Tetramon was slowly walking beside Daiki, his ears drooping and his tail dragging in the sand. Terriermon was sitting, half-asleep, on Jessie's shoulder. Morglormon was dehydrated, since he was a Vegetation Digimon. Petalmon was in the same condition—dried up and parched. Vipomon was fanning himself with his wings.

"How long have we been walking?" Daiki complained.

"Lemme see…" Jessie said. She looked at her shadow. With a stifled sigh, she murmured, "Six hours."

"What time of the day is it?" Compass asked wearily.

"Noon. It's the hottest at noon," Tetramon replied, his voice nearly inaudible.

"Peachy," Riku grumbled sarcastically. "Just peachy."

Jessie, who was walking in front, took a step forward and sunk slightly. She stopped moving and looked back at the others.

"Guys, we shouldn't walk this way," Jessie warned the others.

"Why not?" Petalmon asked.

"It's…uh…not really quicksand but…it's like a hole…kinda…"

Daiki walked up to Jessie and struck the ground with his foot. Nothing happened. The others crowded around.

"Well, it didn't move when _I_ hit it," Daiki told Jessie.

Jessie shrugged. "Must've been my,"—the ground opened up at that moment, and the Tamers and their Digimon fell through—"imagination…!"

—————

"Ow…"

"I think I hit my head on something hard…"

"Yeah…_my_ head!"

"I-is everyone all right?"

"Ugh…I'm not…"

"Riki…?"

"I'm right here, Daiki."

"Terriermon, where are—"

"Right—ow—here, Jessie. I'm kinda tangled in Vipomon's wings…"

"Let go!"

"I will if—yowch!"

"Shhh! Quiet! We don't know where we are!"

Jessie lit a match. She held it in front of her to survey the scene. Terriermon's ears and Vipomon's wings were indeed tangled up. Petalmon and Riku were rubbing their heads in annoyance. Riki was leaning over Vipomon, trying to untangle the mess. Compass and Morglormon were still knocked out. Daiki was hugging Tetramon, shivering even though there was no wind and it wasn't cold.

Jessie sighed. "Is everyone more or less…all right?"

There was a chorus of groans.

"I'll take that as a 'no'. C'mon, we better wake Compass and Morglormon."

Riku, Petalmon, and Jessie gentle woke the sleeping duo. Compass opened her eyes first.

"Uhn…five more minutes…"

"No, Compass. We gotta get out of here."

Compass sat up and looked around. Everything was black. Occasional dark red, dark green, or dark blue globs would bubble from the ground and rise to the top. At the top, there was…infinite darkness.

"How do you suppose we're going to get out of here?" Morglormon asked sleepily.

"It's not like we've got any choices."

Vipomon, who had finally gotten himself out of the mess, lay down. "You're right."

Riki sat down next to his Digimon. "It's so dark in here we won't see a thing. We might as well sleep."

Compass, Vipomon, Riki, and Morglormon quickly went to sleep.

Jessie yawned. "They're right, you know." She blew out the match. "We'll sleep, and in the morning we'll get out of here."

She and Terriermon lay down and fell asleep too.

Daiki was confused. He stood up. "But we can't sleep! We're not in the desert anymore! We have to get out!"

Riku stretched, yawned, and lay down. "Stop trying, Daiki. There's no way out."

"Yeah," Petalmon agreed. She lay down near Riku's head. "It's not like…we can find a way out…anyway…"

Daiki and Tetramon were the only ones awake.

"Guys…why'd you all go to sleep?" Tetramon wondered.

Silence.

Daiki turned to his Digimon. "C'mon, Tetramon. Let's explore this place. Maybe there's something here that'll help us get out."

And so they left their sleeping friends and headed in a random direction. After half an hour, they turned back and went a different way. Soon, they were ultimately lost.

"Great! My ideas stink!" Daiki said in despair. He looked up, then at Tetramon. "But I won't give up. Those guys are my friends, and we're going to get them outta here."

Tetramon nodded. "Right!"

Suddenly, the ground in front of Daiki cracked and split and formed an abyss, and from the abyss, a Hyogamon appeared. It brandished its club at Daiki and Tetramon. "Why didn't you fall asleep like the others?" it demanded.

"Coz we want to find a way out!" Tetramon growled.

"You can't, coz this is my kingdom! No one escapes Hyogamon's realm of darkness! All who question my authority gets deleted!"

Daiki stepped forward. "Oh yeah, mister wise-guy? We'll see who gets deleted! Tetramon!"

"One step ahead of you, Daiki!" the fox-like Digimon replied, jumping at Hyogamon. Tetramon was thrown away with one swipe of the club.

"Tetramon!" Daiki cried. He glared at Hyogamon. "You big ugly ass! You'll pay for that!"

Hyogamon laughed. "Your Digimon's so weak! He crumpled like a rag doll." Hyogamon pointed at Tetramon. "See what I mean?"

_No! I can't…let him do this!_ Daiki said silently. _The others are counting on me to get them out._ Daiki looked determinedly at Hyogamon. _And I'm not letting some club-wielding ####### stop me! I'm gonna save my friends!_

Daiki's D-force glowed suddenly. Daiki, Tetramon, and the enemy Hyogamon stared, dumbfounded, at the light. It was the boy who reacted first. Daiki took his D-force and his Digiegg from his backpack. With fresh determination, he held them high above his head. "Digi Armor energize!"

Tetramon, bruised but still ready to fight, got up as light shimmered around his body. "Tetramon Armor digivolve to…Platinumon, howling Anger!"

Platinumon was a large timber wolf with gleaming silver armor. Spikes ran down his back and a huge spike was fixed on his forehead. He had gigantic feathered wings, and the Crest of Anger was emblazoned on his back. 

Hyogamon stuck his tongue out. "Nyah-nyah! A big old Armor doesn't scare me!"

"It should!" Daiki yelled. "Sick 'im, Platinumon!"

The armored wolf needed no second bidding. With a ferocious snarl, he leaped upon Hyogamon and knocked the bone club from his opponent's hand. The Hyogamon squeaked with fright and ran in the opposite direction.

"What kind of an opponent _are_ you?" Platinumon growled. "A worthy opponent does not run from a battle!"

Hyogamon stopped running and turned around. "Well, you asked for it then!" Ice appeared in Hyogamon's hand, which he threw at Platinumon. "Throwing Ice!"

Platinumon opened his mouth. "Cross Beam!" A bright red energy beam collided with the ice and melted it.

Hyogamon chose this time to snatch his club from the ground. He leaped at Platinumon, who barely jumped out of the way, and yelled as the club came down, "Icy Cudgel!"

The ground froze where the club hit.

Daiki was watching with growing anger. "Damn! Platinumon hasn't landed a blow yet!" he muttered. Then he yelled, "Platinumon, get in close, then attack!"

Platinumon obeyed. He dodged showers of ice, and when he was close enough…

"Platinum Smash!"

The huge gray wolf rammed his shoulder into Hyogamon's chest. Cracks were audible as Hyogamon went flying. The demonic Digimon struggled to a sitting position and found that Platinumon was standing over him, growling menacingly.

"Platinumon, wait!" Daiki ordered. He rushed over to the Digimon. Glaring at Hyogamon, he asked, "Why did you drag us here and put my friends to sleep?"

Hyogamon raised his club, but Platinumon swiped it away. The defeated Champion sighed. "Ah, well, see…"

But then, quicker than the eye could see, Hyogamon screeched and leaped at Daiki. He knocked the boy over and tried to hurt the boy in some way. But Platinumon charged with an angry howl. His head spike rammed into Hyogamon's back. The evil Digimon screeched, then disappeared. As the bits of data floated upwards, the surrounding landscape transformed into the desert. The desert sands were then blown away, and the entire landscape changed, once again, to become a jungle.

Daiki shakily stood up and hugged Platinumon's neck. "Thank you for saving me."

Platinumon smiled. "You're welcome, Daiki."


	9. Guardian of the Gate

Chapter Nine

Guardian of the Gate

Lina, Josh, Riley, David, Mikara, and their Digimon sat around a fire. It was early morning and the sun was slowly rising. The Tamers and their Digimon had awakened one-by-one, and they were quietly talking as breakfast was being cooked.

"Do you think the others are all right, Mikara?" Josh asked his sister.

Mikara smiled. "I'm sure they're all right. They've got Jessie and Terriermon, who've lived here all their lives. They've got Riku and Petalmon, who'll never give in no matter what. They have Daiki and Tetramon, who are full of hope. They've got Compass and Morglormon, who can find their way out of a maze by simply pointing north. And they have Riki and Vipomon for comic relief."

"What do _we_ have?" Josh wondered, looking around at the small camp.

"Well, let's see…we've got you and Patamon. You guys have lots of hope. And then there's Lina and Sytamon, who we'll follow to the ends of the Digital World coz she's our leader. There's Riley and Gabumon, _our_ comic relief. There's David and Wormmon, who can provide us with every detail known to mankind about my laptop if we asked."

"And then there's you and Nekomon, who will keep our spirits up with your dreams."

Mikara laughed. "Thanks, Josh."

Breakfast was served, and the Tamers got up and started walking. They were almost out of the forest and closer to the mountains. When they reached the mountains, they saw a path leading to a mountain pass. The Tamers and their Digimon walked up the path and stopped in front of a huge gate. Guarding the gate was an Antylamon.

Lina took out her D-force. "Antylamon: Ultimate level. Her attacks are Bunny Blade and Arm Bomber." She put her D-force away and looked up at Antylamon. "Well, hello, Antylamon. Can we pass through the gate?"

Antylamon looked at them. "No. It is currently closed for repairs."

David peered at the gate. "It looks like it's in good condition. What's wrong with it?"

"………"

"Hellooo, I'm _talking_."

"………"

Riley stepped forward. "Hey, you, Antylamon! What's wrong with the gate?"

"You can't pass," the large rabbit-like Digimon declared. "You're not _allowed_ to pass. Those are very strict orders."

"From who?" Wormmon wanted to know.

"Satanmon. He doesn't want some snot-nosed kids getting passed this gate."

Mikara frowned. "But, you know, we're just kids. We're not going to do anything _drastic_."

Antylamon's eyes narrowed. "WaruMonzaemon, Gesomon, and Hyogamon have already been defeated by you kids. I won't let you pass!"

"Then you're asking for a fight!" Josh yelled.

Antylamon sneered. "You're so little and your Patamon's so weak. You took out Gesomon, but he was a mere Champion. I'm an Ultimate!"

"She's got a point," Patamon stated.

Mikara pushed past her brother with Nekomon at her heels. "Then _we_ will fight you!"

"I don't think so," Antylamon replied. She brought her arm down. "Arm Bomber!"

The Tamers scattered before they could get hit. The ground split where Antylamon's arm landed. Mikara and Nekomon ran to face Antylamon.

"You're going to let us pass whether you like it or not, miss big-shot rabbit!" Nekomon hissed.

Antylamon smirked and, quick as a flash, brought her arm down again. Nekomon knocked Mikara out of the way but was pinned down by Antylamon's arm.

"Nekomon!" Mikara screamed.

"Mikara, stay back!" Nekomon cried. "I'll…handle this!"

Antylamon picked up Nekomon and tossed her from hand to hand, as if she was juggling. Nekomon's rough yelps filled the air.

"Mikara!" David yelled. "Use your Digiegg!"

Mikara took out her backpack and rummaged through it, trying to ignore her Digimon's pleas. "I…I can't find it!" she finally said in despair. Mikara sat down and closed her eyes, afraid she was unable to do anything. _Oh, man, I knew this was gonna happen! I should've paid more attention to where I put it_, Mikara thought bitterly. _When this is all over, I'm going to punish myself. Damn it all! I want to go home…this is too much for me!_ Tears started to well up in her eyes. _I wish Nekomon wasn't in such danger…I wish I could do something to help…_

"Mikara!!!" Nekomon screamed.

Mikara opened her eyes and a certain glow caught her eye. She grabbed her D-force. It shone with a brilliant light, and a mass of white energy was floating above it. Mikara took the energy in her free hand, and it solidified into her Digiegg.

"That's where it was…" Mikara whispered, smiling. "In my D-force…"

She stood up and held her D-force and Digiegg close. Then, with a renewed strength, she yelled, "Digi Armor energize!"

Nekomon, who was in midair, glowed with a sudden white light. "Nekomon Armor digivolve to…Teimon, creator of Dreams!"

Teimon was a large black cat with threads of gold in her fur. She sported armor of silver and sapphire blue, and on her chest plate was the Crest of Dreams. Teimon stood upright and held in her right hand a huge energy gun.

"Whoa!" Mikara exclaimed gleefully. "Teimon!"

"Your shift as guardian has ended, Antylamon," Teimon growled, "and we don't pay overtime!" She raised her energy gun. "Itami Blaster!"

A blue-green beam of energy shot from the gun and hit Antylamon in the head. The Ultimate-level Digimon yelled as electricity jumped around her. She fell, and from her head a black mist grew. The mist solidified into a Soulmon.

Riley took out her D-force. "Soulmon: Champion level. His attacks are Necro Magic and Soul Cry."

At that moment…

"Necro Magic!" Soulmon yelled, sending off a brilliant purple mist at Teimon. The large armored cat, however, jumped from the mist and aimed, point-blank range, at Soulmon.

"Itami Blaster!"

Soulmon floated out of the way and opened his mouth. Sound waves emanated from them—"Soul Cry!"—causing all who were present (except Soulmon, of course) to cover their ears.

"T-Teimon!" Mikara stuttered. "Get…him!"

Teimon leveled her energy gun, trying to ignore the earsplitting sound waves. "Itami Blaster!!!"

Soulmon was caught off guard. The energy beam hit him. A screech like that of nails against a blackboard filled the air, but was soon cut off. Soulmon vanished, and his data flew away on the wind.

—————

Antylamon sat against the gate, rubbing her head. "I thank you, Mikara, and you, Nekomon, for stopping Soulmon. He was possessing my mind and I could not stop him."

Mikara smiled. "We know. That's why we didn't destroy you. Right, Nekomon?"

Nekomon grinned ecstatically. "Of course!"

"Well, not that our little debate is over, can we pass?" Josh asked Antylamon.

The rabbit-like Digimon smiled. "Sure!" She looked curiously at Mikara. "Say, you look like Suzie with your hair like that."

"Su…zie…?" Mikara said slowly.

"Yes. Suzie Wong, but I'm sure she's married now."

"We're her kids!" Josh and Mikara exclaimed together.

Antylamon laughed. "Yes, I see now!" She turned to Lina and David. "And you two are Takato and Jeri's children?"

They nodded. Lina grinned.

"So…well, you don't look like any Tamer I know," Antylamon told Riley.

"That's coz I inherited most of my mom's traits," was the reply.

Antylamon smiled again. "I am Suzie's partner Digimon. After D-Reaper was destroyed, the other Digimon and I stayed here. I stayed to guard this gate." She gestured to the gate. "I will let you all pass."

The Tamers headed through the gate and into the mountain pass. Looking back, they waved at Antylamon, who was yelling:

"Goodbye and good luck, Tamers of legend!"


	10. Of Sickness and Of Health

Chapter Ten

Of Sickness and of Health

Riku, Compass, Daiki, Riki, and Jessie walked through the jungle, their Digimon walking beside them. Riku suddenly stopped.

"Guys, I'm really tired," she said. "I feel dizzy."

"Are you okay? Are you sick?" Petalmon asked.

Riku put her hands to her head. "I don't know…I just feel dizzy and tired…"

Compass put her hand on Riku's forehead. It was slightly warm. Compass frowned. "You're kinda warm. Maybe you have a fever?"

"I…don't know. What day is today?" Riku wondered.

"Uh, December second, I think," replied Riki. "Why?"

Riku shook her head and straightened up. "Uhn…never mind. I'm fine."

Compass frowned again. "Riku, there's something wrong with you. If only we had some water…"

Jessie grinned. "Terriermon and I can take care of that!" She turned to her partner. "Terriermon, look for some bloom-hydras. Make sure they have water in them. I'll head for a nearby stream, wherever it may be."

Terriermon nodded. The two of them went in separate directions and disappeared into the undergrowth.

"I hope they get back soon," Daiki stated.

—————

By the time Jessie and Terriermon got back, Riku was in a worse condition. She was shivering despite the warmth of the jungle, and she was burning hot. Compass dipped a leaf in a red bloom-hydra, a flower native to the Digital World, and put the leaf on Riku's forehead.

"That should do for now," Compass told the others. "We don't have a rag or anything, so a leaf should do it. Did you get drinking water, Jessie?"

Jessie sighed. "Well, I didn't find the stream I hope to find, but there was a pool of water near a patch of bloom-hydras. I wasn't sure whether the water was safe or not, but I soon saw a Koromon drink from the pool and hop away unharmed. I _think_ it's safe."

Jessie held out a large green leaf. On its cup-like surface, a bit of water was being held.

Riku struggled to a sitting position. "I just…want water…"

"Riku, lay still," Riki told the girl. "You're tired and weak."

"No…" Riku shook her head. "I'm not weak, I'm just tired…"

Compass looked hard at Riku. "Riku, please, lay still. You're weak. I don't know _what's_ wrong with you, but—"

"Car crash," Riku said bitterly, lying down. "Car crash…almost killed me…on December second…"

The others stared at her with shock.

"In coma…hospital…two months…"

"Does this mean you won't get better until two months pass?" Tetramon asked.

Riku said nothing.

"I don't think we'll be here for two months," Daiki said. "Maybe just…three more weeks?"

Compass sighed and shook her head. "Forget the two months. Jessie? The water?"

Jessie gave Compass the leaf, and Compass urged Riku to drink. Riku finally gave in and, after drinking all she could, went to sleep.

"Phew!" Morglormon exclaimed. "That was easy enough!"

"We better stay here with her," Riki stated. "We have enough food in our packs, I think."

So the Tamers sat down near Riku, silently eating their food. Compass occasionally went to check on Riku, and found out that her fever was going away. Smiling, Compass sat by Riku after the third check-up and watched a trail of ants march to their nest.

"It's getting late," Vipomon told the others. "We should get some rest. Let Riku sleep for the night."

"She skipped dinner," Terriermon pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. Let Riku rest."

So the Tamers went to sleep.

—————

Riki woke up suddenly. Something was not right. Everyone was asleep but him. Sitting up, he made sure he didn't wake Vipomon. Riki looked around the campsite and, suddenly, saw Riku. She was curled up in a ball, shivering madly. Riki got up and checked Riku's temperature. She was burning hot.

Riki was in a panic. He didn't know what to do. So, following Compass' example, he took a leaf, some water, and soaked the leaf. He then put it on the sick girl's forehead.

"Oh, please get better," Riki whispered absently.

"Is she going to be all right?" a voice asked quietly. Riki almost yelled with surprise. Petalmon was also awake.

"Er, yeah, I think," Riki told the Digimon.

Before Petalmon could say anything, an unfamiliar voice replied, "No, she won't."

Riki and Petalmon looked to the trees and saw a Sukamon hanging from a branch.

"Whaddya mean, 'she won't'?" Riki demanded.

Sukamon laughed harshly. "She won't coz the water's fit for Digimon, but not for humans! Nyahahahahah!"

This evil laugh woke the rest of the Tamers. Daiki stood up and shook his fist at Sukamon. "Whaddya want with us?"

"Sukamon's my name and playing tricks is my game," the yellow Digimon replied. "And your friend there,"—he gestured to Riku—"has fallen into my trap! She's sick coz of the water!"

Jessie's eyes widened. "Poison water!" she gasped. Everyone awake (but Sukamon) stared at her.

"What?!" Petalmon screeched.

Sukamon laughed again. "And the bloom-hydras too!"

Terriermon growled. "You'll pay for contaminating the water!" He opened his mouth wide, and—"Bunny Blast!"—a large energy ball shot from it. It hit Sukamon's branch, causing the yellow Digimon to fall. Sukamon landed with a thud.

"Ow, that hurt!" Sukamon yelled.

"It should, and so should this—Bunny Blast!"

The others jumped into the frenzy.

"Fungus Crusher!"

"Mega Bite!"

"Energy Beam!"

"Tetra Blast!"

However, Sukamon jumped out of the way. He threw blobs of pink goo at the Rookies. "Bomber!" The pink goo stuck to the Rookie Digimon.

"Ew, what is this horrible stuff?" Tetramon complained.

"It's sticking to my wings!" Vipomon whined.

"And my ears!" Terriermon declared.

"Don't give up…" a faint voice murmured. Everyone looked to Riku. She was sitting up, shivering. "Don't give up…"

Petalmon smiled. "Riku!"

Riku didn't look at Petalmon. She stared at the ground, holding herself. "Don't give up…"

"Riku, you're not in a fighting condition," Compass told her friend. "You must rest!"

Riku tried to stop Compass. "No…must fight…must help Petalmon…"

"But Riku—"

Riku struggled to her feet. When Compass and Jessie tried to help, she pushed them away. Weak but fighting to be strong, Riku held up her D-Force. It glowed with a brilliant white light. In a hoarse voice, Riku called out, "Digi Armor energize!"

Petalmon glowed as the pink goo that was stuck to her melted.

"Petalmon Armor digivolve to…Naturimon, flower of Sincerity!"

Naturimon was a green fairy with flowing light brown hair. Flowers of red, orange, and yellow were braided into her hair, and wings made of narrow leaves sprouted from her back. Naturimon wore shoulder guards and a green chest plate, which sported the Crest of Sincerity. Naturimon held a whip in her left hand and a sword made of thorns in her right.

Riku sat down hard. Her strength was drained, but she forced herself to look up at her Armor Digimon. "Naturimon…" she whispered. Then she closed her eyes and drifted to a troubled sleep.

Naturimon faced Sukamon. "That's it—your evil reign in this jungle has ended." She charged at Sukamon, her sword at the ready. She swung her sword and—"Thorn Stinger!"

Sukamon yelled hoarsely as the sword struck his arm. His arm disappeared.

"That was a warning shot," Naturimon said bitterly. She raised her sword arm, and it glowed with a brilliant yellow light. "But this isn't! Nature Hyper Beam!"

Naturimon brought down her arm, and a bright energy beam shot from her sword and pierced the Sukamon. The yellow Digimon squealed in agony as the energy ate away at him until he was reduced to nothingness…

—————

Naturimon held a leaf out to Riku. The sick girl drank the potion on the leaf, and her strength returned. However, she was very tired.

"Let her rest," Compass told the others. "She's had a long, tiring night."

"Yeah?" Daiki complained. "What about us? We had a long night too!"

Riki grinned. "It's almost dawn, so we'll rest for a few hours and start walking when Riku feels better. Okay, Daiki?"

Daiki pretended to ponder this statement. Then, grinning widely, he sat down underneath a tree with Tetramon. "Sure, no problem," Daiki replied, his eyes closing. "I just wanna sleep. I'll wake you guys when we're ready to go…"

Riki smiled faintly at the sound of his brother's snores. That's my bro, he thought proudly.


	11. Knowledge is Power

_Author's Note_: Sorry for the inconvenience. I was away for three weeks, and I was nowhere near a single computer. Thank you for patiently waiting.

————

Chapter Eleven

Knowledge is Power

Lina, David, Mikara, Riley, and Josh stood in front of a huge factory with their Digimon beside them. It looked like it hadn't been used for years. Its pipes were empty and the yard was littered with trash. The building itself was dilapidated—all that was stone or brick was slowly crumbling, and all things metal were rusting over.

"Gee, I wonder how if anyone lives here," Lina wondered.

"Don't you think that if it looks this decrepit it wouldn't be inhabited?" David asked her.

"Well, _sorry_! And stop using big words!"

David glowered at his sister.

Riley stepped forward and placed her hand on the door. "We might as well go in. We could rest here if it's comfy, then we can head across the mountain pass when daylight comes."

Josh nodded, grinning. "Good idea. Let's go! C'mon, Patamon!"

Inside, the building was just as rundown as the outside.

"Well," Gabumon said, "it seems like no one's been here for a while."

"No duh," Nekomon replied. She sighed. "We better explore this place before doing anything else. We might find something useful."

Lina and Sytamon peered into an adjacent room. "There's nothing in here," Lina told the others. "Just darkness. And there's a lot of rusty metal stuff in there, too."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING RUSTY!!!?"

Screaming, Lina and Sytamon ran to the opposite side of the room and hid behind Mikara. A Guardromon entered the main room, followed by two Tankmon. The Guardromon wore a rather indignant expression. He raised his arm and shook his fist at Lina and her Digimon.

"I've oiled my gears every day since Andromon became the boss! I wanted to please him, so I've scraped all the rust off my body! Don't _ever_ call me rusty!"

Mikara held her D-Force at the three Digimon. "Guardromon: Champion level. His attacks are Protection Grenade, Warning Laser, and Homing Barrage. Tankmon: Champion level. Their attacks are Hyper Cannon and Machine Gun Arm."

Lina came out of hiding. "All right, all right! You don't have to throw a hissy fit," she told Guardromon.

"And I am _not_ throwing a—what did you call it?—oh, yes, a hissy fit!"

The Tamers and their Digimon exchanged skeptical looks.

Suddenly, the light went out, and a very loud voice yelled, "THE POWER ENGINE'S NOT WORKING AGAIN!"

The Tamers and their Digimon winced at the volume of the scream. Three Hagurumon floated in from yet another room. One hovered next to Guardromon.

Mikara held out her D-Force again. "Hagurumon: Rookie level. Their attacks are Darkness Gear and Drag."

"It just shut down," the Hagurumon reported. "I dunno what's the matter with it. I think someone sent the Trojan Horse virus through it again."

The Guardromon looked at the Digimon who were present. "All right, who did it?"

There was a brief silence.

"No one did it?"

Every Digimon (except the Tamers') shook their heads.

Guardromon eyed the confused humans and their Digimon. "What about _you_, troublemakers?"

Josh held out his hands in an innocent fashion. "We just got here. We don't know what you're talking about."

"How can I trust you? Satanmon and VileDevimon tell their servants not to listen to humans."

Mikara stood between Josh and Guardromon. "Listen, tinhead, we don't know what you're talking about. And besides, why are you saying that to my _brother_? Hey, I know he's annoying at times, but he's my _brother_. He's only ten years old!"

Guardromon eyed Mikara suspiciously, then Riley. Then his eyes fell upon Lina and Sytamon. "What about _you_?" he asked. "You called me rusty. I think _you_ did it!"

Lina became furious. "No way would I send a virus through your power engine thingie!" She pointed at David. "He's good with techno stuff. He might know how it got there."

David blinked at his sister. "Lina, that's the first comment you've bestowed upon me."

Lina shrugged. "Mikara's right—you're my brother. No matter _how_ annoying you are."

David smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, little sis."

"So…what's wrong with the power thing?"

"I dunno. I haven't seen it yet."

Lina nodded, then turned to Guardromon. "Listen, Rustymon—"

"GUARDROMON!" the reddish-brown Digimon screeched. "MY NAME IS GUARDROMON!!!"

Lina stepped back, blinking. "I was only _kidding_. Well, anyway, _Guardromon_, my brother can help you. Show us the engine thing and he'll be right on it!"

Guardromon turned to the others. They all had pleading looks on their faces. Sighing, Guardromon nodded and turned back to the Tamers. "All right. Follow us."

Two Hagurumon accompanied Guardromon to the main power chamber. In the chamber, the walls were covered with pipes and cables that spread out like a spider's web in all directions. There were no windows except at the very top—and these were mere slits. However, the center of the chamber attracted everyone's attention. There was a metal cylinder, possibly twenty feet high and seven feet around, glowed a mysterious pinkish-purple light, blinking slowly. The Tamers felt the power flow through the room as the glow brightened, and they felt the power lessen when it dimmed.

"Whoa," David breathed, pushing his glasses up his nose. "This has got to be…I dunno…three decades old by the exterior covering. But the power…it's almost nuclear!"

A Hagurumon nodded. "You're correct. It _is_ nuclear. Nuclear power doesn't run out."

The other Hagurumon butted in. "That's why, when we first built this factory, we decided on nuclear power. We wanted power that would last forever, and beyond forever."

"How long is 'beyond forever', Josh?" Patamon whispered into his partner's ear.

"I dunno. I gotta ask Mikara later," was the reply.

"Okay."

David was deep in thought, watching the monotonous blinking of the light. He stared at the power engine intently, counting the seconds between a bright glow and another bright glow. Without turning his head, he asked the Android- and Machine-type Digimon, "So this has been going on for years?"

"Well…yes and no," Guardromon replied.

This got David's attention. "What do you mean 'yes and no'?"

"It has been blinking light that for thirty years, but not as slow. It's been slowly just recently. I think it started six months ago. That's when the viruses started to appear in it. When it goes _this_ slow, it's not functioning."

David reached out to touch the power source, but it cackled with electricity and thrust his hand back. David clutched his hand, which was slightly burned.

"That happens sometimes, too," the first Hagurumon informed. "We must be careful. If the power is this low, then we might burn ourselves."

Shaking his injured hand, David studied the engine from a safe distance. Then he asked, "Which one of you knows this machine the best?"

"I do," the second Hagurumon replied proudly. "I _built_ this thing."

"Good. Now, I have a plan." He turned to face the Digimon, a determined light in his eyes. "But I must first know how you deactivate the machine."

The machine was deactivated, and David, crawling inside the machine's interior, checked the engine's circuitry. "I don't see any—wait! Aha!"

"What did you find?" Mikara asked.

"Some broken wires and—whoa! The main drive! It's…"

"What is it?" Guardromon asked.

David hastily backed out, sweating slightly. "It's…uh…sliced in half and barely stuck together with electrical tape and what seems to be some glowing material."

"Nenon?"

"Er, I guess."

Guardromon turned to the Hagurumon. "All right, what happened?"

"Nothing, Guardromon!" the two chimed together.

"I'll tell you what happened!"

Every being in the room turned to see a tall white-and-gray Digimon standing in the doorway.

"Boss!" the Hagurumon exclaimed happily.

"Andromon!" Guardromon trilled.

Lina pulled out her D-Force. "Andromon? Hm…Ultimate level. Well, he _looks_ friendly enough."

The first Hagurumon floated to Andromon. "Hiya, boss! Don't mind these humans—they're only helping."

"But I _do_mind them!" Andromon growled. "I see you've solved the problem. But do you know who caused it?"

There was silence.

"I DID!!!"

Guardromon and the two Hagurumon looked shocked. "Boss! How…why…please!" the second Hagurumon stuttered.

Andromon smirked evilly. "I sent the virus through the power engine!"

"But…_why_?"

Andromon towered over the black-and-bronze Rookie. "Foolish Hagurumon! With a virus in the engine, we can produce Segron instead of Nigron!"

The Hagurumon was trembling. Guardromon stepped in between the two. "But Segron is what Satanmon and VileDevimon use in creating Dark Cables!"

"Exactly, Guardromon. If we ship the Segron to Satanmon and VileDevimon, we will gain more profit!"

Lina stepped into the argument. "Waaaait a second! Are you telling me that you sell this power to the Digimon we're supposed to _fight_!?"

Andromon glared at Lina. His arm shot forward suddenly and hit her, throwing her back a few feet.

"Lina!" Sytamon and David yelled. Sytamon charged at Andromon, only to be thrown back. Lina groaned, sat up, and coughed roughly.

Andromon raised his arm, which spun and formed a drill-shape, electricity surging through it. "Lightning Blade!"

"STOP!!!" David roared, planting himself between Andromon and his sister.

"David!" several voices cried in unison. David was knocked over by Wormmon. The attack sliced through the air where David's head had been a second before.

David staggered to his feet, his glasses dangling from one of his ears. He adjusted his glasses and pointed at Andromon. "Wormmon, go get him!"

Wormmon jumped forward. "Sticky Net!"

Andromon neatly sliced the webbing with his arm.

"It's no use, Wormmon! You have to Armor digivolve!" David told his Digimon.

"Then I'm ready!"

David held up his D-Force. "Digi Armor Energize!"

Wormmon glowed a fiery white light. "Wormmon Armor digivolve to…Searchmon, keeper of Knowledge!"

Searchmon screeched, his red eyes glowing fiercely.

Andromon smirked again. "A big old bug doesn't scare me! Lightning Blade!"

Searchmon's shell glowed white while the Crest of Knowledge burned a bright purple. "Hertz Jamming!" Energy crystals shot out from the shell and stopped Andromon's attack.

Andromon was clearly frustrated. He jumped onto Searchmon's back—definitely not the wisest thing to do.

"Searchmon, destroy him!" David yelled angrily.

"Hertz Jamming!" Searchmon roared.

Only then did Andromon realize the danger he put himself in. Searchmon's shell glowed, and energy crystals shot upwards, ripping through Andromon's body. The Ultimate-level Digimon yelped in pain, then slumped forward. A black mist rose from his body and exited through the ceiling of the room, and soon afterwards, Andromon was a small cloud of data.

————

"Thank you for stopping Andromon," a Tankmon told the Tamers. "But who will lead us?"

Gabumon butted in. "Simple. We decided that since all of you are very honest, willing, and skilled, you should choose among yourselves the rightful boss."

"But we'd like to nominate Guardromon," Riley added. "He's pretty…uh, what's the word you used?"

"Well-versed," David said promptly.

Guardromon was flushed with pride. "Th-thank you, Riley and David!"

"Good luck on defeating Satanmon and VileDevimon!" all of the Hagurumon trilled.

"Thanks!" Lina exclaimed.

"Wait!" another Tankmon exclaimed. He held forth a small box, and in the box were five colored pendants. Each glowed a different color.

"What are these for?" Nekomon asked.

The Tankmon shrugged. "We don't know. They make good parting gifts, though!"

The children took the pendants while thanking their new friends. And so the Tamers and their Digimon headed across the mountain pass, glad that they could help. However, as they walked away, Josh suddenly asked:

"Mikara?"

"Yeah, Josh?"

"How long is 'beyond forever'?"


	12. Spirit of Freedom

_Author's Note_: Okay…you'll notice I use a strange language. I created this language, not for the sake of this story, but just because…I felt like it. I have added translations, except for what the Gekomon said. If you can decipher it…good for you! But the point of this is that you understand this is my language, and it is copyrighted by me.

—————

Chapter Twelve

Spirit of Freedom

            "Krie _Lorl'_!" Jessie gasped in some foreign language. Then, reverting back to English, added, "What _is_ this place?"

            "Eh, what did you say?" Daiki asked her.

            "I said, 'My Lord'."

            "Oh. Why?"

            Jessie didn't answer for a moment. She stared sadly at what looked like an abandoned, run-down mine. It was dug into a hill with a wooden gateway. Hanging over this gateway was a board that said: "Slave Mine. Do not enter!" in the same foreign language Jessie had uttered (Slau' Men'. Do novt 'nvt'r!). Outside the mine, thin and ragged-looking Digimon slaved away with pick, hoe, and shovel. These Digimon—three Gekomon, an Elecmon, and two Lopmon—were thin, tired, and hungry.

            "This place…it looks like a Nazi concentration camp," Compass said quietly, a frightened look plastered on her face.

            "I won't even _ask_ what a Nazi is," Jessie muttered bitterly. She hugged Terriermon. "This is inhumane! Who would enslave living creatures? Who would enslave _Digimon_?"

            Riki made a rude noise at Jessie's ignorance. "Who else? The taskmaster—the slave master."

            Vipomon walked to one of the Gekomon and said, "Hi, I'm Vipomon. Who imprisoned you?"

            "Yeah!" Petalmon chimed in. "We wanna speak with the master of this mine!"

            The Gekomon did not stop shoveling dirt. He picked up a shiny, metal object in the dirt and threw it into a basket. After a few moments, he said, "Do you _really_ want to know?"

            "Yeah, duh!" Jessie exclaimed.

            "Fine, fine. Uh, lessee…LadyDevimon. Yah, that's what she was called, I think."

            Compass looked skeptically at him. "You mean you don't _know_?"

            "Yah. I cannot remember."

            "…_Why_?"

            "Coz…coz I cannot remember. You wanna trade us or something?"

            Riki interrupted. "Trade? LadyDevimon trades slaves? With who?"

            "Ah…started with an 'S'."

            "Would it be…Satanmon, by any chance?"

            The Gekomon's eyes widened. "Ieov spoch' t'' nakr' oh' t'avt s'en'ie basvtarl'!" And so the Gekomon continued to rant in the foreign language, which fell dead upon the ears of all except Jessie's and Terriermon's.

            Terriermon's ears stiffened. "All right, all right, we got the point! We won't utter his name anymore, or speak of him! So…nothing about Mr. S or about…uhn…what's-his-face? Oh, yeah, VileDe—sorry. Er, of Mr. V. Right?"

            The Gekomon calmed down. "Ja, si, ja."

            Compass intervened. "Now _that_ I understood. He said, 'Yes, yes, yes.' First he said it in German, then Spanish, then Ger—"

            Petalmon stopped the conversation. "We understand. No more foreign languages, okay?"

            Everyone nodded.

            Tetramon spoke up. "Where's LadyDevimon, then?"

            "Oh…closer than you think, _children_."

            The Tamers and their Digimon whirled around. The Gekomon, meanwhile, squeaked in fear and continued his work. Now, the Tamers faced a tall female Digimon. She was demonic-looking, her eyes glowing a fierce red.

            Vipomon and the other Digimon started growling.

            LadyDevimon smirked. "My, my, what an interesting cache of slaves you brought me. _Good_ humans…_good_…"

            Jessie's look hardened. "What are you talking about…?" she growled harshly.

            LadyDevimon laughed shrilly, her high, devilish voice echoing through the mine exterior. "You fools! How I laugh at your incompetence! How I laugh at legend! How could legend state that ten children and their Digimon would create the downfall of Satanmon and VileDevimon? Ahah…hahahah…hahahahah!!! But instead, you'll all be my slaves, working in my mine! Goodbye, Tamers of legend!"

            Riki stepped forward defiantly. "You slutty bitch, I want to kick your ass to the moon! No one's enslaving us! Period!" He emphasized this last statement by making an sideways cleaving gesture with his arm.

            Again, LadyDevimon smirked. "You…are so…foolish! I pity your Digimon and your parents. What a mess they have to put up with!" She laughed harshly. "Look at you—a rag-tag bunch of lowlife misfits."

            LadyDevimon held up her hand, and black wires erupted from the ground and grasped the arms and legs of the humans and their Digimon.

            "No…can't…move!" Riku murmured softly. She was still weak from her illness, and she was first to collapse.

            "Riku!" Petalmon screamed. She squirmed in the wires' grasp. "No!"

            Jessie yanked on the wires. It was no use. "Ugh! Geez, this is worse than that goo!" Suddenly, she had an idea. She turned to face her Digimon. "Terriermon, attack!"

            "Ooh…how can I!?" the bunnylike Digimon snapped.

            "Use your Terrier Tornado!"

            Terriermon stared dumbly at his Tamer. "Well, duh," he said finally. "I'm so stupid." Then, spinning wildly, Terriermon called forth his attack. "Terrier Tornado!"

            The wires trapping Terriermon broke, and the Digimon was free. Then, without any thought to his situation, charged at LadyDevimon. "Terrier Tornado!"

            LadyDevimon held up both of her hands. "Darkness Wave!"

            A black mist quickly enveloped Terriermon, and the bunnylike Digimon screamed in pain.

            "No! Terriermon!!!" Jessie cried out. She turned to the others. "You gotta help me!"

            Daiki yanked his arm free of a wire's grasp. However, it quickly returned to his arm, pulling him back. "We'd love to help, Jessie," the boy retorted. "But, uh, we have a little problem…"

            "We gotta get outta here…" Riku said softly.

            "Save your strength, Riku," Petalmon advised her friend.

            Terriermon issued another scream of agony. His little white body was thrown to the ground. Badly bruised, Terriermon struggled to stand up. He promptly fell back down.

            LadyDevimon laughed. "You're a bigger fool than I thought, sending a Rookie against an Ultimate!" She continued to laugh.

            Jessie had collapsed due to the wires, but she struggled to her feet. Using all of her strength, she grabbed one of the ensnaring wires with her hand and pulled sharply. The wire snapped at its base. Jessie did the same with her other hand until her arms were free. She tripped and fell, though, but pulled her legs free just as another two wires came crashing towards her. The girl scurried out of the way.

            "You're a fool too!" LadyDevimon roared at Jessie. Wires erupted from the ground, forcing the girl to run. "Anywhere you step, you'll be caught."

            Jessie ran towards her Digimon. She grabbed Terriermon, and, using her momentum, head butted LadyDevimon. The demonic lady staggered backwards, but she grabbed Jessie by the back of her shirt collar.

            "You insolent little brat!" LadyDevimon spat. "You and your Digimon ought to be punished for this!"

            Though in midair, Jessie launched a kick at LadyDevimon's stomach. She dropped the girl and her Digimon, reeling in pain.

            "YOU FOOL—"

            "Terriermon, can you fight?" Jessie interrupted the enraged Digimon.

            Terriermon staggered to his feet, groaning. But his expression hardened, and he faced LadyDevimon. "Let me digivolve, Jessie!"

            Jessie held up her glowing D-Force. "Yeah! Digi Armor energize!"

            Terriermon glowed. "Terriermon Armor digivolve to…Calibermon, soldier of Freedom!"

            Calibermon looked like an armored Gargomon. He had long ears with armor at the ends, a chest plate with the Crest of Freedom emblazoned on it, and shoulder guards. His hands were semiautomatic guns. At Calibermon's back was an ammunition pack (like Rapidmon's). And he wore pants.

            It was Jessie's turn to smirk. "Now we've evened the odds! Calibermon, sick 'er!"  
            Calibermon aimed at LadyDevimon and fired. "Caliber Strike!"

            Bullets tore through the air and flew at the devil lady. She spread her wings and flew out of the way.

            "Foolish little rabbit…" LadyDevimon smirked. "Darkness Wave!"

            The black mist appeared again, but Calibermon was quick. He launched himself into the air by firing at the ground. He rose above the mist, startling LadyDevimon, and he attacked. "Caliber Strike!"

            This time, the bullets found their mark—the large demonic wings. Screaming madly, LadyDevimon tumbled from the air. Seconds later, when the mist disappeared, Calibermon landed squarely on the ground and aimed at his opponent.

            He didn't wait.

            "Rabbit Shock!"

            As electricity surged through Calibermon's "hands" and ammunition pack, electrically charged bullets pelted the ground and the fallen enemy. Screams of agony gurgled from LadyDevimon's throat as the bullets erupted and set flame to grass and skin. After a heavy barrage of bullets, Calibermon stepped back and watched a miniature explosion fill the atmosphere. A small mushroom cloud hung over the battlefield as dirt, stones, and charred grasses flew in all directions. LadyDevimon's unmoving carcass was thrown into a nearby river, which washed the remains away…

—————

            A Gekomon smiled with gratitude as he presented a small box to the Tamers. "Here," he said in his froggish voice. "These will come in handy some day."

            Jessie took the box and opened it. Inside were five colored pendants.

            "What are those?" Riki wondered.

            "We're not sure, but LadyDevimon kept them secret," an Elecmon replied. "Please—take them away. We do not wish to be disturbed by nightmares while we live here."

            Compass nodded, helping Riku stay on her feet. "Thanks, guys. We'll find a good use for them."

            As so, with their newly acquired pendants hanging from their necks, the Tamers walked away from the former slave mine. In their minds and hearts, they were happy to free those Digimon. They were not meant to be slaves.


	13. Friends

Chapter Thirteen

Friends

 "What!? No _way_ are we going up that mountain _now_!" Riley screamed at Lina.

 "But if we don't do it now, we won't do it at all!" Lina shot back.

 "We must rest. We can't climb that mountain when we're tired and weary."

 "We just need food, that's all."

 "No! You're _wrong_!"

David suddenly cut in. "Girls… this is not the time to fight."

 "STAY OUTTA THIS!!!" Lina and Riley yelled in unison.

Josh yawned. "When are they gonna stop, Patamon? I'm tired…"

 "I'm tired too, Josh, but I'm not sure if they'll _ever_ stop," his Digimon replied. "We should wait and see."

 "Good idea."

Nekomon noticed that the two youngest members were dozing off. She said to Mikara, "Look, they're sleeping."

Mikara nodded. "We gotta stop this." She stood up and walked over to the arguing duo. "Listen, guys, I don't care what you decide, but you must stop this. Josh and Patamon are really tired. They look ready to hit the sack any minute." She gestured to her brother and his Digimon with her arm.

David nodded in agreement. "Mikara is right. And I have an idea. Mikara, Josh, and Riley can stay behind, and Lina and I can reconnoiter ahead."

 "'Reconnoiter'?" Lina wondered.

 "Oh, sorry. Scout. Reconnoiter is a synonym for scout."

Riley immediately agreed with David. "That's a good idea. Josh is tired, so he'll stay. I'm tired, so I'll stay. And Mikara will probably stay coz her brother's fast asleep!"

Lina thought about it before saying, "But we'll be separated."

 "It'll only take a few minutes," David replied. "Besides, we're only reconn—sorry, scouting. We'll go to that ledge and come back down." He pointed to a ledge jutting out from the mountainside.

Lina finally nodded. "Oh, all right. Let's go, Sytamon."

Sytamon followed her Tamer up the mountainside. "So, whaddya think we'll find there?" she asked the others.

 "Who knows?" Wormmon replied. "We must wait and see."

A harsh, guttural roar emanated from beyond the ridge David had pointed out. Wormmon and Sytamon were immediately defending their Tamers. From beyond the ledge came a lumbering Rockmon. It eyed the Tamers suspiciously and, without warning, hurled two boulders at them.

Wormmon knocked David aside, and Lina and Sytamon ducked the attack. But, just as the boulders rolled away, another two came crashing down.

 "Wormmon! Digi Armor—" David began.

 "David, look out!" Lina screamed. The boy gasped as a huge boulder rolled towards him and Wormmon.

————

Mikara sat bolt upright, her eyes wide and free of sleep.

 "What?" Riley, who was still awake, asked her.

 "David and Lina are in trouble!" the other girl replied, staring up at the mountain ridge.

Riley stood up. "How do you know this?"

 "I'm… well, I'm kinda psychic… but they're in trouble, Riley! We gotta help 'em!"

Gabumon stood up too. "No. Stay with your brother and Patamon. Riley and I will go."

His Tamer nodded. "Right. We'll be back soon, Mikara!"

Riley and Gabumon headed up the mountain, towards the ridge, with Mikara staring at their retreating backs.

————

 "Sticky Net!"

 "Prism Sun!"

Two voices echoed through the air as their attacks hurtled towards the rolling boulder. It was knocked aside, and the attacks singed through the air once more, but towards Rockmon. The enemy Digimon held his arms over his head, blocking their attacks.

 "Do it again!" Lina ordered, her hands clenched tightly.

Wormmon spat at the Rockmon—"Silk Thread!"—and sticky threads of silk encased the Digimon's arm.

Sytamon's facial markings glowed, and the sun gave her its energy as she roared, "Prism Sun!"

Rockmon growled as the attack hit his other arm. He stooped down and started rolling down the mountain towards Sytamon. The purple dinosaur snarled and charged up for another Prism Sun, but…

 "Rock Ball!"

Sytamon went flying when Rockmon collided with her.

Lina gasped. "Sytamon!" The girl ran to her Digimon and knelt down beside her. "Sytamon, speak to me! Sytamon!"

Rockmon turned on Lina, and the girl screamed.

 "Hey! Leave them alone!" David yelled at the opponent. "Wormmon, Digi Ar—"

Again, he was interrupted.

 "Rock Punch!"

Wormmon pushed David aside, but the Insectoid-type Digimon was thrown back. Wormmon was knocked unconscious against the mountain ridge.

David stared in shock, then rushed to his Digimon. "Wormmon, no!"

Rockmon laughed. It was a harsh, low laugh that sounded more like grunting, but it was laughing nonetheless.

 "Yo! Rock head! Leave my friends alone!" Riley called out as she and Gabumon appeared from behind a boulder.

 "Yeah! Pick on someone your own size!" Gabumon agreed. He stopped. "Except, no one's your size."

 "I don't care! Gabumon, sick 'im!"

Gabumon didn't need a second bidding. He jumped into the air and set his horn for Rockmon's head. But when they collided, Rockmon's stony skull chipped Gabumon's horn, and the Reptile Digimon fell back.

 "Blue Blaster!" Blue fire escaped Gabumon's mouth and hit Rockmon in the eye. The enemy Digimon screamed in agony.

 "Finish him, Gabumon!" Riley's D-Force glowed a brilliant white. "DIGI ARMOR ENERGIZE!!!"

 "Gabumon Armor digivolve to…Lietongmon, dreams of Friendship!"

Lietongmon was an upright wolf with a coat of deep blue, almost black. He sported dark purple armor with the Crest of Friendship on his chest plate. Metal claws—small but razor sharp—rested on his paws, and a pair of dragon wings sprouted from his back.

Riley grinned. "Awesome! Lietongmon!"

Lietongmon turned to face Rockmon. "C'mon, rock head! Let's see what you're _really_ made of!" The winged wolf held up his hand as a pale blue energy ball formed in his palm. He hurled it at Rockmon. "Demonic Dreams!"

The energy ball connected with Rockmon's forehead. The Digimon staggered and fell, fast asleep. After a few moments of silence, the Rockmon flinched violently. It growled and snarled, and it seemed as if an invisible enemy was attacking it.

 "What's happening?" Lina asked, helping Sytamon to stand.

Riley held out her D-Force. "Lietongmon: Armor level. His attacks are Demonic Dreams and Deceptive Illusions. Currently, Rockmon is asleep and having a terrible nightmare. What's going on in his head, Lietongmon?"

 "A Rockmon's greatest fear is drowning," the great wolf replied. "But, currently, this one is being afraid of being flogged by Satanmon."

David winced. "That must hurt."

And, suddenly, the Rockmon clutched his own throat in his sleep. After a few minutes of wriggling, the Rockmon was deleted.

 "And so," Lietongmon said in a philosophical tone, "death is inevitable."

Riley watched as the Digimon's data floated away. "Poor thing." She turned to help Lina support Sytamon. "Listen, Lina, I'm sorry about that fight earlier. You're right—the sooner we climb the mountain, the better."

Lina smiled at Riley. "But you're right, too, Riley. Josh and Patamon were tired. We should've rested."

Lietongmon dedigivolved back to Gabumon. "It seems, though," he said, "that we'll need to rest anyway! Three out of five Digimon are beat!" To add emphasis to his statement, he fell ####### his tail.

David nodded, holding Wormmon in his arms. "We better return to the others. They might be worried."

————

Mikara and a conscious Josh were waiting for their teammates' arrival. Josh had a big grin on his face when he saw them return. Riley and Lina were supported Sytamon, David carried Wormmon, and Gabumon was in the lead.

 "Boy! You guys are brave!" the brown-haired boy chirped.

 "Are we going or staying?" Mikara asked Lina.

Lina let Sytamon sit down. "We're staying. Sytamon, Wormmon, and Gabumon need some R-and-R."

Patamon, who was sitting atop Josh's head, smiled. "Great! I can go back to sleep!"

 "Yeah!" Josh exclaimed. He and Patamon lay down and immediately went back to sleep.

————

_Author's Note_: I am _extremely_ sorry for the late update! I've had a lot of things on my hands, including swimming, tennis, and my two newest fanfics. I also have an extreme case of writer's block. It's a good thing I'm three chapters ahead of you guys. So, currently, I am writing chapter sixteen, and I have basic chapter layouts for chapters 16-21. But I'm stuck! So, if you want to help me by contributing ideas and will risk the spoiler, email me at renamon_tamer55@msn.com, I'll tell you what happens during 22-26, so that I can get my ideas down without forgeting. I'll post a message like this again when I need more help. Thank you, faithful readers! ~TdA


	14. Scarecrowmon, Protective Spirit

Chapter Fourteen

Scarecrowmon, Protective Spirit

It was dark. Dark and foreboding. Swirls of red and black clouds filled the sky. Dead stalks of corn and dead trees littered the ground. Compass stood amidst it all, confused and surprised.

 "What… what's going on?" she asked.

_I'll tell you what's going on,_ a demonic voice replied.

 "Wha!? Who's there?" Compass demanded. Suddenly, the world around her became black. Nothing could be seen in the darkness. "What have you done with my friends!? Where am I!?"

The voice chuckled. _I have done nothing to those 'friends' of yours. As for your second question…_

A volcano suddenly appeared in Compass' line of vision. It was dormant for a moment, but erupted a second later, sending gas, lava, and rock spewing in all directions. Compass stepped back from the vision, frightened.

_And as for who I am…_ Two red eyes, glowing fiercely, replaced the fiery volcano. _You'll have to figure that out for yourself…_

And the being laughed, its voice reverberating through the darkness. Compass turned and ran. She ran and ran in the darkness until her legs gave way and she fell. The glowing red eyes were forever above her, laughing at her, mocking her.

_Compass? Compass, are you okay?_

And the laughing eyes kept glaring at her. The girl clutched the sides of her head and screamed.

_Compass! Compass, wake up! Compass!!!_

————

Compass screamed, sitting bolt upright. Lina and Jessie sat next to her, trying to calm her down. Morglormon, Sytamon, and Terriermon stood nearby.

 "Compass, calm down!" Lina pleaded. "Please! It's just us!"

 "Compass…" Morglormon whined. "Please, we're trying to help…"

Finally calming down, Compass sat back and sighed. "What a nightmare…" she breathed.

 "What happened?" Terriermon wanted to know.

Jessie glared at her Digimon. "Terriermon, it might be personal!"

Compass shook her head. "No, no… I'll tell you. I was in a field, sort of. There were these dead corn stalks and dead trees, and it was very dark. The clouds were… ugh… what's the word? You know, sorta evil?"

 "Ominous?" Lina suggested.

 "Yeah, that's it. Um… I can't remember what happened next… but I was soon looking at a volcano erupting. And this voice was talking to me. It kinda sounded like LadyDevimon's voice—"

Jessie and Terriermon winced.

 "Sorry, but well, it sounded like her voice, only masculine. What Digimon sounds like that?"

Terriermon looked at the sky. "Hm… Only Devimon, I think."

 "You _think_, Terriermon? Exactly how long have you _been_ here?" Morglormon demanded.

 "All my life, but I've only encountered a Devimon once, and they're really scary…"

 "Please," Sytamon interrupted. "Let Compass tell us about her nightmare."

They were silent, letting the quaking girl recount the rest of her tale. "Well… there were these glowing red eyes… and they started chasing me. Well, I can't really remember _what_ they did, but I ran… I ran…" Compass closed her eyes, then opened them again. "And I was so scared… Then I woke up, screaming…"

Lina frowned. "Poor you…" She hugged Compass for a second before letting go. "But it was only a dream. It won't—"

 "Don't say it won't come true," Jessie intervened. She had a dark look in her eyes. "Because we're in the Digital World; _anything_ can come true."

Compass looked to the ground. "She's right…"

Lina glared at Jessie. "Don't say stuff like that, Jess!"

The black-haired girl shrugged. "Just keeping you on your toes, that's all…"

Compass intervened. "We won't know until we find out. Thanks, guys, for snapping me out of my nightmare. I think I'll go back to sleep."

Sytamon smiled. "All right."

————

It was early morning, and everyone but Compass was awake. Riki and Lina sat at the fire with their Digimon nearby. Daiki and Tetramon were yawning and stretching, trying to shake free from sleep. Riku sat alone against a small boulder while Petalmon gathered roots and tubers for food. Morglormon sat next to Compass, waiting for her to awaken. Jessie and Terriermon walked into the campsite with the girl holding a rather small fish.

 "Is that all you could catch?" Lina asked Jessie.

 "Yes…" was the reluctant reply. Jessie tossed the fish to Riki, who skewered it with a stick.

 "Well, we might as well eat it," Vipomon grumbled, eyeing the fish suspiciously.

Riki shrugged, holding the fish-on-a-stick above the fire. "Oh well."

 "I get first dibs!" Sytamon exclaimed.

Lina laughed. "If you ate first, Sytamon, you'd eat the whole thing!"

The two laughed for a while before it was silent again.

 "So Compass is still asleep?" Terriermon wondered, looking over at the unconscious girl.

Lina nodded. "Mm-hm. She'll wake up when she's ready."

 "She might not wake up for a while," Daiki commented. "When I had nightmares like that, I slept for half the day."

 "How'd—" Terriermon began.

 "We told the others what happened last night," Jessie told her partner. She smiled. "You were still asleep, I guess."

A sudden shriek from Compass halted all conversation. Everyone jumped up and crowded around her. It was apparent that she was still asleep, but…

Morglormon gasped. "The nightmare!"

————

Meanwhile…

Compass once again stood in the fields of dead corn and wheat. She stared at her surroundings and cringed. She could feel an evil presence stalking her…

She had to move. And fast.

Compass ran through the cornfield, but a shadow restlessly pursued her. The girl turned her head and screamed with terror as the shadow of evil lunged at her, eyes glowing. Compass fell to the ground and the shadow passed over her. She jumped to her feet and ran in the opposite direction until she reached a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a stone tablet about six feet tall. Curious, Compass walked towards it and hesitantly reached out. Voices filled her head, whispering, chanting, taunting.

 "No!" Compass screamed. She fell to her knees, clutching the sides of her head. "Leave me alone! No…! Morglormon! I need you… Morglormon! Digi Armor energize, please! _Morglormon_!!!"

In the dream world, Compass' D-Force glowed a bright white light. The stone tablet glowed in response to the light, but it glowed a sinister red and black. Two fiendish eyes appeared from the light, and a black-and-red shadow lunged from the tablet and struck Compass' D-Force.

————

Compass' D-Force glowed, and so did Morglormon. The Tamers and their Digimon watched in awe as Morglormon changed.

 "Morglormon Armor digivolve to… Scarecrowmon, Protective spirit!"

Scarecrowmon was, well, a scarecrow. His hands were gloved, and straw poked out from his clothes. But, being an Armor, he sported a golden chest plate underneath his jacket, the Crest of Protection imprinted on it. A small purple crow rested on his shoulder.

And, suddenly, Scarecrowmon was turned into data and absorbed in Compass' D-Force.

 "Scarecrowmon!" everyone gasped.

————

Scarecrowmon looked around at the dead corn. "Where… am I?" he wondered, looking around. The crow on his shoulder cawed loudly.

A scream emanated from the horizon. Scarecrowmon seemed to fly as he ran in the direction of the scream. He burst out from the corn into a field, and in the center of the field was an ancient stone tablet, six feet high. Compass cowered at its base, and towering above her was a Devimon.

 "Compass!" Scarecrowmon called out. He held forth his hands. "Crop Growth!"

The dead corn stalks became alive. They grew from the earth and shot at the Devimon. The Evil-type Digimon was pulled back, surprised. Corn tangled around his arms, legs, and wings, and soon, small stalks of wheat erupted from the ground and encased the evil Digimon in long ropes.

 "Scare… crow… mon…?" Compass whispered, startled.

The Armor-level Digimon took his pet crow and tossed it into the air. "Fields of Crow!"

A single caw caused dozens upon dozens, maybe even hundreds, of crows to erupt from the fields. They harassed the Devimon, swarming around him, furiously tearing at his wings and skin.

 "Why did you attack Compass?" Scarecrowmon roared.

The Devimon glared at his opponent, and evil grin on his devilish face. "You weakling would _never_ understand… My mission is complete. Go ahead, destroy me! No matter what, the Evil Ones will certainly know of this ability!"

Before Scarecrowmon could reply, a rather vicious tear from his pet crow destroyed Devimon. The Evil Digimon disappeared, and so did the corn and wheat. Another caw issued from Scarecrowmon's pet bird, and the other crows started to fly away.

Compass stared, half-afraid, at her Digimon. On his semi-goofy face, a slightly devilish smirk appeared. And, in a flash of feathers, Scarecrowmon dedigivolved back to Morglormon.

 "Compass, are you all right?" Morglormon asked his Tamer.

The girl nodded dumbly. "Y-yeah…"

Morglormon smiled. "Let's get out of this mess."

Compass took her D-Force. _I wish we could get out of here_.

And, in a flash of light, they were gone.

————

 "Compass! Morglormon!"

The two blinked, and they were back in the Digital World. Lina hugged her friend, and Riku gave Compass a pat on the shoulder.

 "We're glad you're okay, Compass," Daiki chirped.

 "What happened, anyway?" Tetramon wondered.

 "Devimon was 'on a mission'. It seems that he knows Compass can call someone in the dream world," Morglormon responded.

 "I never knew I had that ability, either…" said Compass.

Riki smiled. "We're just glad you're back."

The girl smiled as well. "I'm glad, too."


	15. Dragon's Heart

_Author's Note_: FINALLY!!! After what seemed like eons of downtime, FF.N's completely up! YAY! *throws confetti* And just in time, too. I present to you, my faithful readers…

*          *          *

Chapter Fifteen

Dragon's Heart

Mikara woke suddenly. "They're coming!"

Lina stared at her. "What?"

"They're coming! I saw them in my dream! They're _coming_!"

"Who?"

"The others!"

Lina stood up and walked along the mountain path until she rounded a corner. Sure enough, several beings were walking through the grassy foothills. Lina cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted out…

"Daiki, Compass, Riki, Jesse, Riku! We're over here!"

There was silence for a moment, in which David, Mikara, Josh, Riley, and their Digimon took the time to join Lina. And, when the silence ended, the two groups rushed to each other. It was a frenzy of hugs, laughter, and relief. Twenty different voices cried out.

"We missed you so much!"

"We missed you too!"

"Did your Digimon Armor digivolve yet?"

"Sure as hell, yeah!"

"I knew we'd see each other again!"

"Of _course_. We wouldn't get into _much_ trouble."

Several shouts later, the reunited Tamers and their Digimon started off through the mountains. Grins and smiles of joy invaded their faces as the early morning sun brightened the day. Small conversation broke out among the group.

"Tetramon can Armor digivolve, Josh."

"Cool! So can Patamon. He's an awesome winged horse."

"So, how's life, David?"

"Life is well. You?"

"It's great."

"Did anything happen while we were away?"

"No, Lina, nothing. Well, except when I got really sick, but Petalmon and the others saved me."

Lina turned to Compass, who walked next to her. "Hey, Compass, where to?"

"West. According to my natural sense of navigation…" Compass began, "…west is…" She pointed. "That way. It's a huge mountain, huh?"

"That's no mountain…" Morglormon replied. "That's a volcano!"

"Oh, okay… WHAT!? A _VOLCANO_!!!?"

"Yes. It's the only volcano on Server that's anywhere in the west. It's a dormant volcano, so it won't erupt or anything. Otherwise, we'd be fried."

"Yeah, I kinda knew that," Compass said dryly.

"Oh."

Riku, who was walking on Lina's other side, strained to see farther. "There's not much I can see from here. We're too far. I don't see a castle or anything like Mount Infinite…"

"Maybe it's underground," Riki suggested.

"Maybe…"

Mikara suddenly halted. Nekomon stopped and turned to her partner. "What's up, Mikara?"

"I sense danger…"

"Hm?"

"Danger…"

A sudden, primal roar echoed throughout the slopes. The Tamers and their Digimon froze, startled. An Apemon came over the hilltop, running on its knuckles. It glared hard at the Tamers, then unleashed another wild roar. Standing on its hind feet, it took the large bone shaped like a boomerang into both hands.

_Kill the Tamers._

That single command echoed in its mind.

_Kill the Tamers._

Cut off the head, and the snake no longer lives. Cut off the head…

With another roar, the Apemon sent its bone boomerang through the air, straight at Lina. The girl screamed in fear, and so did several other voices.

"Prism Sun!"

Sytamon's solar attack collided with the whirling bone, sending it off course. Being a boomerang, however, it whirled back to its owner. The Apemon caught its weapon deftly and adopted a fighting crouch, snarling at Sytamon. The purple-and-white dinosaur snarled back.

"Why did you attack Lina?" Sytamon demanded angrily.

Then answer was immediate. "_Kill the Tamers_!"

The dinosaur and the ape charged at each other. It was a blur of purple and yellow. Fur bristled, teeth bared, and bone hit claw. But, being a Rookie, Sytamon was weakening faster. She was slowing down.

"S-Sytamon!" Lina cried, clutching her D-Force. "SYTAMON!!!"

Two voices echoed throughout the sloped, hilly landscape.

"Prism Sun!"

"Mega Bone Stick!"

The attacks missed the other, but Apemon's stick flew past Sytamon and headed back, knocking the Digimon squarely at the back of the head. Sytamon growled in pain, but refused to fall.

Lina was also not ready to fall. Riku and her brother David supported her trembling form, but her voice needed no help. "SYTAMON!!! PLEASE!!! ARMOR DIGIVOLVE!!!" The purple-and-white D-Force that she held glowed brilliantly. "DIGI ARMOR ENERGIZE!!!"

Still growling in pain, Sytamon glowed as brilliantly as the D-Force. The light's warmth spread through her body, easing the stinging agony.

"Sytamon Armor digivolve to… Fyremon, dragon's Heart!"

The light faded, and Lina's Digimon was towering over the Apemon. She was a huge armored dinosaur, lavender purple in color with white markings and bands on her skin. She wore gleaming red-gold armor. On her head, a Spartanlike helmet rested, complete with a single metal spike protruding from the front. She bore a chest plate and shoulder guards. Arm guards protected her clawed hands, and even her tail carried a metal tip. Painted on her helmet was the Crest of Heart.

"Wow… Fyremon…" Riki commented, awed, still visibly shaking.

The Apemon, furious at a new enemy, launched itself at Fyremon. But it suddenly stopped.

_Kill the Tamers_.

The yellow primate took the bone boomerang in its hand and flung it at the Tamers. A sudden inferno charred the bone, leaving a cracked, broken, and burned weapon. The Apemon looked up with undaunted eyes at its enemy.

"You have attempted to attack Lina once," Fyremon snarled. "I stopped you, and I would've let you free. But you have attempted to attack her a second time, and so you shall pay!" From her mouth, she called forth an identical pillar of fire. "Steel Love!"

Now, at the sight of its first and foremost fear, the Apemon screeched and started to knuckle-run away. But the fire was too fast. It engulfed the Apemon, who, still shrieking, withered in the flames. Soon, the enemy Digimon and its bone weapon disintegrated into data and flew away on the breeze. But a sinister voice floated away with it…

"_Kill the Tamers_…"

An involuntary shudder passed through the Tamers and their Digimon. Fyremon de-digivolved back to Sytamon, and, after a moment of fearful silence, everyone started to relax.

"That was disturbing," Josh whispered, gazing up at the sky.

"It always is, facing death head-on. But…" Mikara hugged her brother reassuringly. "It's all right. As long as we stick together, we'll be fine. Right guys?"

Everyone nodded in unison, and some mumbled their agreements.

Compass pointed west. "Let's go before the sun reaches noon. Then we can have lunch at the base of the mountain, and climb for the rest of the afternoon."

"Good thinking," Morglormon replied. "I'm hungry."

"Me too," Tetramon chimed in. "Daiki, I'm hungry…"

In turn, Daiki turned to his older brother. "Riki, I'm hungry."

Riki sighed and looked at his Digimon for help. Vipomon gave him a strange look. "No way are you telling me you're hungry."

That got a laugh from everyone.

"Let's go," Riku said, grinning. "C'mon."

With Lina and Sytamon leading, the Tamers headed for the mountain. They felt content, and as the sun steadily rose to its zenith, they felt good inside. All their Digimon had Armor digivolved; a grand feat, which not many wild Digimon had yet accomplished.

"If only we had the skill our parents had," Riley told Mikara, glancing at the clouds in the sky.

"Yeah… I miss them, you know. Every other night, I dream of them. I see my mom and dad, and my uncle and aunt, too. I tell Josh, and he is happy that I constantly communicate with them."

"You do? What do they say?"

"They say… they say they are proud of us. They all have something to tell us."

"What… what do my parents tell me?"

Mikara took a moment to remember. She then remembered. "Well… your father says he hopes you don't get your underwear soaked—"

Riley sighed. "Dad would be the _only_ one to say that."

"—And your mother wants you to remember that everyone is there, rooting for us."

"They're still there? How many days have we been here, again?"

Nekomon piped up. "Fifteen."

"Wow… they're still probably at the presentation center, trying to communicate with us."

"No, I don't think so. Mr. Matsuki says they've returned to work, but they always check with Mr. Akiyama to see how we're doing. He's kept tabs on us. We're fine."

Riley nodded. "Good. I wouldn't want my parents worried."

"Me neither. We can say a prayer for them, and for us."

"Are you getting devout all of a sudden?"

Mikara laughed suddenly. "No, no. I just like praying at times of danger and worry. That's what my Christian parents always taught me."

"Okay. Even though I'm Daoist, go ahead."

After a deep sigh, Mikara started saying, "Dear God, we praise and thank Thee. From the sun in its birth to its dying, we pray to replace the hardest task with the sweetest memory, and we pray to find eternal peace. Amen."

"Amen," Riley echoed, then repeated the new word. "Amen."

Mikara said nothing more.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"I like it."

"Me too."

————

_Author's Note_: That prayer Mikara said is from _Animorphs #33: The Illusion_. You can find it in Chapter 6 on page 38. So, I do not own it or the Animorphs series. I simply own the books that I have bought. And the last four lines are also from the book, from that same chapter, from that same page. Thanks again for reading. ~TdA


	16. Return of the Devil

_Author's Note_: I am terribly sorry for the long, long, long wait, but my computer had to be reformatted, and I still don't have Internet. So I'm using my dad's laptop, and he'll only let me do it for a little while. *sigh* My updates will be random, though I'll try to update every three to four weeks. Gomen, gomen…

*          *          *

Chapter Sixteen

Return of the Devil

            It was around twilight when the Tamers were two-thirds of the way up the mountainside. They were still walking steadily, but Mikara and Daiki were lagging behind.

            "Guys, I think we should stop and rest," Riki told the others, stopping suddenly.

            "Jessie, my paws hurt. We Digimon should rest and recuperate," Terriermon complained, adding to Riki's suggestion.

            Jessie gave Terriermon a strange look. "You've been sitting on my shoulder all afternoon."

            Terriermon stuck his tongue out at her. "Fine. _Be that way."_

            "But the rabbit's correct," David said. "We're all fatigued. We can't refute that fact."

            Lina pouted and looked to the peak of the volcano. "But we're almost there… I can sense it…"

            Riku put a hand on Lina's shoulder. "Listen. If we rest now, we'll get to the top faster."

            Everyone else nodded his or her agreement.

            Lina paused for a moment, then started to say something. A sudden rumble stopped her, though, and caught everyone's attention.

            "What was that?" Wormmon wondered, looking around.

            "An earthquake?" Patamon suggested.

            "A huge, lumbering Digimon?" Riley chimed in.

            "An eruption about to take place…?" Nekomon and Mikara said slowly, fear evident in their eyes.

            Josh clung to his sister's shirtsleeve. "I hope not…"

            Compass started to walk off on a wide ledge. "There's a cave over there." She pointed to a slightly darker area on the mountainside. "At least, I hope it's a cave."

            "What if it isn't?"

            "Then we're all in big trouble," Gabumon answered.

*          *          *

            "Wow! Remarkable!"

            The Tamers and their Digimon watched David walk excitedly around the small cave, examining the rock paintings on the walls. There were many types of Digimon drawn on the walls. Some were Vegetation-type hiding from predators. Some were aquatic Digimon swimming in lakes and streams. Some were Virus Digimon battling Vaccine Digimon. But the biggest and most spectacular rock drawing was of two beings—a devilish sort of creature with blood red horns and blood red wings and a blood red tunic, and a red Minotaur creature cloaked in black.

            "These are remarkable specimens!" David said to no one in particular. "I never knew Digimon could exemplify such elaborate works of primordial art. Look—this is so realistic. I knew ancient cave people like the Cro-Magnons did rock art, but not Digimon! Wormmon, do you know of any primeval Digimon who could have done such works?"

            Wormmon blinked his huge eyes at his Tamer. "Um… no?"

            Jessie peered at the drawing of the devil and the Minotaur. "Where have I seen that before…?"

            "You've seen that before?" Riley asked skeptically.

            "Once. Terriermon and I were going through Jijimon's library and pulled out a big book. I was eight then… Terriermon was just a little Gummymon. We saw this picture of a rock painting and it had two Digimon on it. I think this was it."

            Terriermon sniffed the rock wall. "Ew, smells horrible."

            "Horrible? How?" Josh wondered.

            "It smells like a Vegiemon."

            Gabumon wrinkled his nose. "Ew, yuck!"

            "I wonder why…"

            But all conversation was interrupted when the mountain rumbled. Cracks flew across the rock walls and ceiling. Chunks of the cave started crumbling and falling to the floor.

            "Everyone, out!" Lina ordered, gesturing to the cave mouth.

            No one needed a second bidding. They scrambled out of the cave, terrified, alert, and wary. The cave suddenly collapsed, burying the rock drawings with it.

            "What's… going on?" Mikara whispered.

            "Something bad," Daiki told her.

            Then, when the rumbling died down, the air was filled with a shrill laughter. "Ahah… hahahahah… HAHAHAHHH!!! YOU FOOLISH CHILDREN!"

            Riki took a step back. "That voice!"

            Jessie and Terriermon exchanged slightly confused looks for a moment. Terriermon then jumped down from his Tamer's shoulder, his ears standing on end. "What do you want?"

            "REVENGE!"

            LadyDevimon erupted from the heap of rocks. Three Devidramon joined her, screeching.

            "Geez, they're huge!" Lina yelled in shock.

            "No kidding!" Patamon squeaked, flattening his wing-ears.

            LadyDevimon laughed again. "You foolish children! How dare you trespass on this mountain? Do you not realize this is mountain belongs to Satanmon and VileDevimon?"

            "Yeah, we realize that!" Sytamon snarled. "That's why we're here!"

            The devil lady sneered at her. "Insolent fool, thinking you can take down the Masters. You'll have to destroy us first!"

            "Jessie…" Terriermon whispered.

            "What?" the girl asked.

            "Look… she's not wounded… not like last time."

            It was true. LadyDevimon's wounds were healed. She was no longer injured. She was ready to fight again.

            Lina looked to her older brother. "Let's win this fight."

            David nodded. "Sure thing." He turned to face his enemy. "Ready when you are."

            The brown-haired girl adjusted her goggles on her head, then pointed at LadyDevimon. "Sytamon, go get her!"

            Sytamon led the army. She, Nekomon, and Morglormon charged a Devidramon. Wormmon and Vipomon attacked another Devidramon. The third Devidramon fought Patamon, Tetramon, and Gabumon. LadyDevimon faced Terriermon and Petalmon.

            Terriermon leaped into the air. "Time to fight! Bunny Blast!"

            "Energy Beam!"

            "Blue Blaster!"

            "Boom Bubble!"

            "Eye Beam!"

            "Sticky Net!"

            "Prism Sun!"

            "Fungus Crusher!"

            "Tetra Blast!"

            "Fireball!"

            The Digimon's voices echoed throughout the darkened mountainside. The atmosphere was bright with fire, energy, and light as attacks flew through the air. But the Tamers' Digimon were weakening. They were mere Rookies, and they were tired.

            "We better Armor digivolve them," Compass told Lina.

            "Good idea." She pulled out her Digiegg, and the others followed suit. "Let's do—"

            But before she could finish her sentence, black cables flew from LadyDevimon's hands and snatched the Digieggs. Flying high above her assailants, LadyDevimon crushed the Digieggs in her hands. She laughed, letting their pieces fall to the ground. And, in one swift movement, she knocked Patamon out of midair as he flew angrily at her.

            Josh fell to his knees. "PATAMON!!!" He leaned over and clutched the pieces of his golden Digiegg.

            "Oh, Josh…" Mikara knelt down beside her brother and tried to comfort him.

            Tears were flowing down the boy's cheeks. "Mikara… she… that devil lady… she destroyed our Digieggs… she's so unfair!"

            David picked up a piece of his Digiegg. It had the Crest of Knowledge on it. "Maybe… maybe…" He closed his eyes. "Maybe we don't require these. Maybe the real energy comes from within. Remember, Mikara, when Nekomon was being crushed by Antylamon?" Mikara nodded. "You misplaced your Digiegg… until you wished for it… and it became real."

            Mikara's eyes widened. "You're right! The Digieggs only _channeled the power! The real source was the heart!"_

            Riku watched as Petalmon was thrown against a huge boulder. She put her hand to her heart and felt the pendant from before that the Gekomon had given them. She looked at it and noticed the Crest of Sincerity emblazoned on its front. "We have to believe…" She closed her eyes and concentrated, gripping her pendant, focusing on a stronger Digimon, something able to beat LadyDevimon and her minions. "Please… digivolve…"

            The other Tamers gripped their now-glowing pendants, and, soon, their D-Forces glowed with a light brighter than anything before. Each Tamer took their digivices in hand and held them to their hearts. Then, though bruised and badly beaten, the Digimon staggered to their feet.

             Vipomon wiped the dirt from his mouth. He took a deep breath as he glowed with Riki's D-Force energy, then roared. "Vipomon digivolve to… Dragymon!"

            "Nekomon digivolve to… Renokomon!"

            "Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!"

            "Tetramon digivolve to… Chagremon!"

            "Petalmon digivolve to… Venumon!"

            "Morglormon digivolve to… Woodmon!"

            "Terriermon digivolve to… Gargomon!"

            "Gabumon digivolve to… Garurumon!"

            "Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!"  
            "Sytamon digivolve to… Kelaramon!"

            Yelling ecstatically, Riki held his D-Force high in the air. "GO GET 'EM, GUYS!!!"

            Dragymon held out his hands as a ball of electricity formed in them. The electric beam shot out at a Devidramon as the mythical Digimon roared, "Zap Cannon!"

            Stingmon shoved his fushia pink energy blade into the heart of the same Devidramon-"Striking Spike!"-and destroyed it.

            "Glass Shard!" Kelaramon screamed, flinging razor-sharp splinters of glass at a second Devidramon.

            Woodmon followed up with a vicious blow to the chin-"Woody Smasher!"

            Chagremon slammed into the Devidramon's gut, sending the strange feather appendages on his shoulder into his opponent's stomach. "Ramming Charge!" The second Devidramon was defeated.

            Venumon raised her Flower Staff into the air. It glowed and became a light emerald crossbow. She fitted a leaf-fledged arrow to it and let it fly. "Leaf Arrow!" The third Devidramon was hit.

            Garurumon opened his mouth wide as blue fire exploded from it. "Howling Blaster!" This knocked out the last Devidramon. Its howling cry echoed eerily throughout the mountainside.

            Kelaramon snarled at LadyDevimon. "Let's kick her ass! Glass Shard!"

            "Striking Spike!"

            "Howling Blaster!"

            "Zap Cannon!"

            "Hand of Fate!"

            "Wind Cutter!"

            "Gargo Laser!"

            "Leaf Arrow!"

            "Woody Smasher!"

            "Ramming Charge!"

            LadyDevimon's scream rang loud and clear, even after her data floated away. The Champion-level Digimon dedigivolved. The Rookies collapsed, beaten and exhausted. Their Tamers ran to their Digimon and held them tightly.

            "Thanks, guys," Josh whispered to Patamon.

            The winged piglike Digimon snored, as did a few others. They were all fast asleep.


	17. The Lair of Evil

Chapter Seventeen

The Lair of Evil

            It was mid morning, but the sky was dark and foreboding. Thunderclouds blotted out the sun, sending streaks of lightning down to the earth. The Tamers were oblivious to it all as they headed up the dormant volcano, their goal in mind.

            "Look, someone's up there!" Tetramon exclaimed, pointing with a paw at a large cloaked figure at the pinnacle of the volcano.

            "Greetings, children," the being rasped. "My name is SkullMeramon."

            "Oh, do we have to fight you too?" Riki demanded.

            SkullMeramon laughed. "No, no, children. You merely have to follow me. I'll take you to my masters."

            Mikara's eyes widened. "You'll take us to VileDevimon and Satanmon?"

            The cloaked Digimon's red eyes flared angrily. "Silence, fool! Satanmon's name always comes first!"

            "Mikara, I think you better listen to him," Patamon said quietly. "He's an Ultimate, after all."

            "So was LadyDevimon, and this guy's no different," the girl replied.

            SkullMeramon's red eyes narrowed. "Do you not believe me when I say I am to bring you to my masters?" Black cables rose from the ground. "Or must I enforce a more… _painful method?"_

            A single black cable slithered towards Tetramon. The little foxlike Digimon snarled and struck the cable, and when his paw connected with it, electricity ran through his furry body. Tetramon shrieked, and when the electricity stopped, he slumped to the ground. Daiki knelt beside his partner and hugged him close.

            "You evil bastard!" Daiki screamed at SkullMeramon. "What was that for, huh!?"

            "To prove you are weak," the Ultimate-level Digimon sneered.

            Daiki looked at Riki. "Can we get 'im? _Please say we can!"_

            Riki turned to Lina. "Well…?"

            The goggle-headed girl shook her head. "We can't do anything about it this time. If we did, we'd all be deep fried sushi."

            Daiki stood up, still clutching Tetramon. "WHAT!!!? You're just gonna let him _win like that? I don't care if I'm deep fried sushi! He hurt Tetramon, and he's gotta pay!"_

            "Dai… ki…" Tetramon opened his eyes slightly. "Don't fight… yet…"

            The ten-year-old boy's violet eyes became somber as he looked down at his partner. "But Tetramon… he hurt you."

            "He'll hurt you too… if you become reckless. Don't fight… for our sake."

            Daiki nodded. "Oh… okay."

            Lina stepped forward, facing SkullMeramon. "Bring us to your masters. We wish to fight them."

            SkullMeramon smirked. "As you wish." He swiftly turned on his heel and headed into the mountainside.

*          *          *

            The Tamers and their Digimon cautiously followed SkullMeramon down a long, crescent-shaped corridor. They were silent-no words passed between two or more people. Tetramon gave the occasional whimper if Daiki hugged him too hard, but other than that, there was no sound.

            Without warning, ten black cables burst from the walls and latched onto the Digimon. Daiki and Josh yelled with surprise as the cables took their Digimon from their arms. Mikara fought with the cable that held Nekomon, desperately trying to save her Digimon. A cable had latched onto Terriermon's ear while the rest of his body still clung to Jessie's shoulder. No matter what they did, however, the cables wrapped around the Digimon and sucked them into the walls.

            Lina lost her balance slightly as the last cable—the one that held Sytamon—slipped out of her hands. The girl grabbed onto her brother's shoulder for support, then regained her composure. She turned to face SkullMeramon's cloaked back.

            "You… you… you…!" she hissed.

            "You son of a bitch! Damn you bastard!" Daiki screeched, his hands balled into fists.

            Riki clamped his hand over Daiki's mouth. "Daiki! What would Mom say if she heard you scream like that?"

            "Well, if you ruminate about it," David said, "they most likely howled like that when fighting the D-Reaper."

            "Shut up."

            Suddenly, all conversation ceased as the floor beneath the Tamers opened up and swallowed them up. The Tamers screamed in shock and terror, falling freely until they landed hard on rock.

            "Ow…" Riku groaned, struggling to sit up. "I've never experienced such intense upper back pain. _Never. Even when I was in the hospital…"_

            Several others were complaining as well.

            "I can't see!"

            "Mikara, I miss Patamon."

            "Where are we?"

            "A grotto, I presume. If not, a cavernous tunnel."

            "_Great."_

            Lina crawled around a bit until she felt something cold and wet. "Hey! Huh? Water?"

            "Or something else, maybe," came Daiki's voice. There was a splashing noise. "Let's hope it's water. It's really icy cold."

            "Daiki, stay away from the water!" Riki yelped. "We don't know how deep this water is. You might drown, and Mom and Dad would _kill me if I let something happen to you."_

            "Don't be such a worrywart, Riki."

            "I'm not."

            "Yes, you are."

            "No, I'm not."

            "Shut up."

            "Why don't you?"

            Compass interrupted the conversation. "Who has some sort of light?"

            Jessie called out, "I do! …I think. Let's hope I have some matches left." There is a moment of silence, and in the vast darkness, a small light suddenly flared to life. "Aha! Success!"

            "Great," grumbled Riley. "We're stuck here with a match and a puddle of water, and our Digimon are God-knows-where."

            Compass nudged her with her elbow. "Hey, try to lighten up. First of all, let's eat."

            "You're always thinking of food."

            "No, seriously, I'm hungry."

*          *          *

            Sytamon snarled viciously. She bit down on the metal bars of her cage, fruitlessly attempting to escape. A Devidramon glared at her from the other side of the bars, mocking her.

            Suddenly, all of the Devidramon guards glanced at the doorway of the dungeon. The door flung open wide as Satanmon and VileDevimon entered. Satanmon was huge, towering over the cages. His horns were wicked and curved, his eyes a stark white. His fur was blood red and shimmering in the firelight. A black cloak swirled around him and around his boots. He was a large red Minotaur, cloaked and dressed as a king without the crown.

            VileDevimon, however, was similar to Devimon, only with blood-stained horns, blood-red wings, and a blood-stained tunic. The familiar white tattoos of Devimon were more foul and evil on this Mega's leathery skin. He hovered above the cages, silently laughing and sneering at the prisoners.

            "You have done well, SsskullMeramon," VileDevimon chattered, scratching at one of his boots with his taloned hand. "You brought usss more ssslavesss, and you have trapped thossse pathetic children in the sssubdungeon."

            "Where is my reward?" SkullMeramon demanded impatiently. "You promised me a reward."

            "Yesss, yesss, of courssse." VileDevimon snapped his claws, and a nearby Devidramon guard produced from his belt a brown pouch. "Here isss your reward."

            SkullMeramon took the pouch and emptied its contents in his other hand. Three black cables suddenly shot out from it and wrapped around the fiery Digimon. Screaming as the electricity flew through his veins, SkullMeramon fell to the floor and started dedigivolving. When the electricity stopped, he was a mere DemiMeramon. The same Devidramon guard scooped the unconscious In-Training, stuffed him into a small mesh bag, and dropped him in a glass box slightly filled with water to cool off.

            Meanwhile, Satanmon turned to the ten caged Digimon. With a wave of his hand, the cages disappeared and black cables held down the captives. "You are now our slaves," the red Minotaur roared, his voice like thunder. "If one of you does extraordinarily well, you shall become a personal servant. But disobey our commands and you will suffer the consequences."

            Gabumon snarled. "We will _never bow down to you."_

            Satanmon turned his eerie white eyes to the head guard. "Torture them."

            The Devidramon saluted, his raspy voice hissing a reply. "Yesss sssir."

            Satanmon and VileDevimon turned and exited the dungeon, slamming the double doors behind them. Throughout the hallways, the sound of ten voices screaming with agony pierced the air.


	18. Digital World Gladiators

_Disclaimer_: I got an idea from Star Wars. You'll know what it is the moment you read it (unless you haven't seen Episode 2).

_Author's Note_: I like this chapter :)

*          *          *

Chapter Eighteen

Digital World Gladiators

            Riki slowly opened his eyes, then shut them again. The light that had filled his vision stung him after hours of darkness.

            "Get up," said a demanding voice. The voice's owner grabbed Riki by the upper arm and half-dragged him out of the subdungeon.

            "…Riki?" Daiki opened his eyes in time to see the guard drag his older brother out of the cell. "Riki!" Daiki scrambled to his feet, but he was too late. The door closed with a loud bang in the boy's face. He slammed his fists against the metal door, efficiently waking up the others.

            "Daiki? What the hell are you doing?" grumbled Riley.

            "They took Riki! They took Riki!" the boy screeched.

            "What!?" Lina demanded. "They did what?"

            "They took my brother!"

            "Jessie, do you have any more matches?"

            The girl in question checked her pockets. "Uh…" A sudden light flared. "Just three more after this one."

            Lina nodded. "Okay. Who here can pick locks?"

            Riley, Josh, and Daiki raised their hands. Riley then slowly lowered her hand. "Actually," she said, "I can only pick the simple locks."

            "Okay then. Jessie? Could you shine the light on the door lock? Josh? Daiki? Do you think you could pick this?"

            While Jessie carefully held the match so the light shone on the door and lock, Josh and Daiki took turns trying to raise the lock pegs. It was a Yale lock, and a very complex one. Josh figured it had ten pegs instead of the usual five, and he and Daiki each raised five pegs. They were done when the light was dangerously low on the match.

            "Okay, Jessie, you can put out the light now," instructed Lina.

            Jessie thankfully doused the match and cooled off her hand in the icy water, which had been hot from the fire.

            Lina rolled up her sleeves. "I'm going out."

            "Wait, Lina." David handed her a thick, pointed stick about a foot and a half long. "I was carving that earlier. The point's really sharp, so sharp it sliced through the fabric of my shirt. Be cautious with that. Only utilize it when you must."

            "Thanks, David." Armed with the stick, Lina slowly opened the door. There was only one guard outside. She turned back to her friends. "Okay, there's only one guard. Any ideas?"

            Mikara nodded. "If we can get the keys from him, we can lock him in here while we look for Riki."

            "It's not that easy, though," Compass noted. "But we can try. We'll fight if we have to."

*          *          *

            Daiki banged on the metal door once again. "Hey! Hey! We're hungry in here! We want some food!"

            The Devidramon guard hit the door with the end of his spear. "Quiet in there! You should be glad I'm delivering the food now." He opened the door, too dumb to notice it was unlocked. He put the tray of food down in front of Daiki. "Here you go. …Hey. Where are the others?"

            "Right here, hotshot!"

            The Devidramon turned to see what was behind him when Jessie drop-kicked him. Lina popped up from nowhere and high-kicked the guard's chin. She adopted a fighting stance and brandished the stick in front of her. The Devidramon raised a clawed hand to brush aside the weapon when Lina flung it with practiced ease at his belt. The belt fabric tore off, stuck to the stick, and so was a decoration on the handle of the key ring. The stick, keys, and belt cloth slid to a stop at Mikara's feet. She tore the keys and stick free from each other and headed out of the cell. Jessie and Lina backed out of the cell as well. The Devidramon snarled at them and slowly advanced, only to have David cut an almost-invisible rope with his knife and send a bucket of water toppling onto the Devidramon's head. David and Riku shut the cell door while Mikara locked it.

            But it wasn't over. With Riku and David in the lead, the Tamers ran down the hallway towards a set of stairs going up. Lina took the lead, her stick in hand, as they headed up the stairs. Jessie was behind her, gripping a fully-loaded slingshot she had made when she was ten. Lina kicked open the door and stepped through. The room was empty of any Digimon.

            But not for long.

            When all of the Tamers had entered the room, they were taken by surprise when a tall, blonde-haired Digimon stepped in front of them and several Devidramon grabbed them.

            "Well, well, well," the blonde Digimon said. "I see you've escaped the subdungeon."

            "Let us go, you bastard," Riku growled.

            "My, my, you're feisty today. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Myotismon, and this is the produngeon… in a sense." He grinned, and the Tamers could easily see his vampire fangs. "Because you have escaped the subdungeon—and with such cleverness, if I might add—I had suggested to the Masters that you would be killed with honor."

            "What honor can you possibly give us?" asked Riley.

            "Oh, _much_ honor. You will be all executed in public." He grinned wider at their expressions. "But wait! You will be executed in the arena, with a Digimon each to fight. You will be armed with whatever weapon you desire. If you kill the Digimon, you will have proven yourself and you will be set free. If you are killed—or worse, eaten—by the Digimon you were to fight… well, you lose, right?" Myotismon adopted an almost pleasant smile. "Any questions?"

            Jessie struggled against her captors. "One—when does the party start?"

*          *          *

            Lina glared at the black-haired girl. "You just _had_ to ask, didn't you?"

            Jessie shrugged. "If we die, we die with honor, remember? Be glad we're not being left to rot for a thousand years, or to be eaten by Amemitmon, or to be—"

            "We get the picture."

            A Devimon eyed each Tamer before nodding to let them pass through the gates. Each Tamer was armed with a weapon—no, _two_ weapons, but they didn't know their digivices were weapons of light. Lina had a javelin; she had wanted to keep her stick, but her friends wouldn't let her fight with something so small. David had a short sword, which he looked stupid carrying. Daiki and Josh had spears, too. Mikara wielded a _bo_ staff, which she had learned in such a short time to channel what psychic powers she had through it. Riku and Compass had a daggers, Riley had _two_ daggers, and Jessie had a dual-bladed sword.

            "Jesus," Josh breathed. "It's like we're reliving _Gladiator_."

            "Or _Star Wars_," said a voice. The Tamers turned to see Riki also wielding a duel-bladed sword.

            "Riki!" exclaimed Daiki.

            "Hey, bro. Glad we're all here, huh? What a way to die."

            "Why do you think we'll die so easily?" Jessie wanted to know.

            Riki shrugged. "I don't know. It's hot and sunny, and we're tired and hungry. And we're facing _Digimon_. Do you really think we'll win?"

            It was Jessie's turn to shrug. "Hey, they never said what _kind_ of Digimon."

            The Tamers finally left the shade of the gates and entered the arena. It was _huge_, the size of a football field, and the ground was covered with sand. There were four columns on one end where the Tamers were exiting and several other gates on the other end. It was like something from a movie. The stands—yes, there were _stands_—were filled with hundreds upon hundreds of Digimon, all corrupted by evil.

            "Krie Lorl'," whispered Jessie. "T'es es anorrebl'…"

            "Whatever you said, I agree," commented Mikara, looking around the arena.

            The Tamers stood where they were told to, which was in front of the four columns facing the gates on the opposite end of the arena. Satanmon and VileDevimon suddenly appeared in a booth high above the stands, near the top of the arena. VileDevimon raised his clawed hands for silence. When all was quiet, he said, "Welcome, welcome! Today we will sssee the execution of ten prisssonersss. We have a ssspecial sssurprissse for thessse pessstsss. Shall we begin?" There was a chorus of 'yeah's from the crowd. "Releassse them!"

            The Tamers were tense, holding their given weapons before them as the gates across the arena slowly rose. The Digimon they were to fight stepped forward and out of the shadows, their eyes gleaming with the evil in them. Some roared, some howled, and some merely growled. But only when they stepped into the light did the Tamers and the crowd see who they were.

            And time stopped.

            Facing each Tamer was a Digimon with a black cable wrapped around each of their necks. Their eyes glowed red, their mouths dripped with saliva, and their hearts beat with the pain and agony they had endured up till then. But that's not what frightened the Tamers.

            Lina was first to speak. _I don't believe it… _"………Kelaramon?"

            The dinosaur-like Digimon roared a challenge to her Tamer. The other corrupted Digimon did likewise to theirs.

            Daiki had to lean on his spear to support himself, for his knees had suddenly given way. The boy gave his Digimon a somber look. "No… Chagremon…" _What happened to you?_

            Riley dropped her daggers. "Garurumon…" _Forgive me, Garurumon, for failing you…_

            Tears were streaming down Mikara's cheeks. "R-Reno… Renokomon…" _No! No! No!!!_

            David gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I can't believe this…" _Goddammit, Stingmon…_

            Riki stared wide-eyed at his Digimon. _No… it can't be…_ He whirled around and glared furiously at Satanmon and VileDevimon. "What did you do to them!? What did you do to Dragymon!?"

            Josh was trembling. _I… I can't do anything! I couldn't save them, and I can't now… no… I'm so sorry, Angemon…_

            _Damn!_ Jessie swore mentally. _Goddammit! How could I let them do this to Gargomon???_

            Compass took a step back. "Jesus… how are we supposed to fight them?" _How are we supposed to _free_ them?_

            Riku sheathed her dagger, closed her eyes, and put a hand to her heart. Then, loud and clear, she started reciting _Kimigayo_, "His Majesty's Reign", an ancient poem that had become the Japanese national anthem. When she finished, she opened her eyes. "We're not giving up. Not because we don't wanna die, but because we wanna save the Digimon. We wanna save this world, and not just this world, either, but our world, too. We won't give up on the Digimon, on the Digital World, on Earth, or on our people. Because they're _our_ people, and the people—of any world—is first on the priority list." She gripped her dagger. "And because of that, we will NOT give up!" She glared at Satanmon and VileDevimon. "Do you hear me? _We're not giving up!_"

            As she drew forth her dagger, her D-Force glowed with immense power and light, as did the other Tamers' D-Forces. The light was so bright, so blinding, that even the Digimon at the other end of the arena had to shield their eyes.

            When the light dimmed so everyone could see, the black cables around the Tamers' Digimon's necks had dissolved and vanished, and the Champion Digimon were now roaring and howling and snarling at the crowd and at their torturers. They made a circle around their Tamers, facing outwards.

            Lina clapped Riku's shoulder. "Good going there, Riku! I thought we'd lose that one."

            "Thanks, Lina, but the battle's not over yet." Riku looked down at her dagger, which promptly vanished with the other Tamers' given weapons. "At least we won't have to fight with the tools of darkness."

            "That's right. We'll fight alongside our Digimon!" Lina pulled on her goggles and let go of them, effectively snapping them squarely on her forehead. "Go get 'em!"

            Fire, electricity, bullets, arrows, beams of light, and swords flew in all directions as the battle began. The crowd of hundreds fled in fear, most of them evaporating into clouds of data as the angered Champions wrecked havoc. Only Satanmon and VileDevimon stood unbowed in their booth.

            The columns had toppled and the bleachers were in ruins in just minutes. The Tamers and their adrenaline-fueled Digimon faced the two Megas. The Tamers gripped their D-Forces while their Digimon simply adopted fighting and ready stances.

            _Mikara…_

            Eyes widening only slightly, Mikara searched her mind to find the owner of the thought message.

            _Mikara… it's us. We're sending you a gift each…_

            And, suddenly, in front of every Tamer appeared ten simple rectangles.

            Blue cards.

*          *          *

_Author's Note_: See what I mean? I think this was a _good_ chapter. And yep, the arena thing was from Episode 2 of SW.


	19. Digivolution Upgrade

Chapter Nineteen

Digivolution Upgrade

            "Wha… what are these things?" Jessie asked, taking hold of the card in front of her.

            "They're Blue cards. They're used for Ultimate digivolution," said Mikara. "That's what… what Mr. Matsuki told me…"

            Lina raised her eyebrow. "When?"

            "…Just now."

            Riki took his Blue card in one hand and his D-Force in the other hand. "Okay, so… what do we do? I mean… how do we use these?"

            "Slash it."

            "Huh?"

            Mikara took her own Blue card and ran it through the groove in her digivice. The card glowed, and as she disconnected the two items, a line of silver-white light followed the card. "Digi Modify!" she yelled. "Matrix digivolution… activate!"

            From Mikara's D-Force, an electronic voice stated solemnly: "Matrix digivolution."

            Renokomon hissed as she glowed a brilliant white. "Renokomon Matrix digivolve to… Nabikimon!"

            The other Tamers followed Mikara's lead, and their Digimon soon glowed as well.

            "Chagremon Matrix digivolve to… Rukliemon!"

            "Stingmon Matrix digivolve to… DinoBeemon!"

            "Gargomon Matrix digivolve to… Rapidmon!"

            "Kelaramon Matrix digivolve to… Canidimon!"

            "Venumon Matrix digivolve to… Botanimon!"

            "Woodmon Matrix digivolve to… Cherrymon!"

            "Dragymon Matrix digivolve to… Drakomon!"

            "Angemon Matrix digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!"

            "Garurumon Matrix digivolve to… WereGarurumon!"

            Daiki and Josh slapped high-fives. "WE RULE!" they screamed in unison. "WE HAVE ULTIMATES!!!"

            "Do you really think _Ultimates_ will stop us?" said a thundering voice. The Tamers and their Digimon looked up to see Satanmon and VileDevimon, still standing in their booth. Satanmon had spoken. "Do you really think you'll defeat us, after what we did to your Digimon?"

            MagnaAngemon glared at the Mega-level Digimon. "The power of light is always stronger than that of darkness."

            VileDevimon hissed sharply. "We'll sssee about that! Come forth, Devidramon!"

            About two dozen Devidramon rose from behind the crumbling stands, their eyes glowing fiery red. For a moment, there was silence among the two armies. During that short amount of time, David put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Remember, this is war. Only one side will win." They looked at each other. "We can do this, little sister."

            Lina then grinned. "Of course we can." She turned back to face the enemy. She stood with her back straight, her head held high, her shoulders square, and a fiery light in her eyes. "Go."

            Canidimon spread her translucent silver wings and roared. She pushed against the ground and charged, her heavy footfalls shaking the arena. The other Digimon were right behind her, running or flying at the enemy.

            Then all hell broke loose.

            While chunks of stone and rock tumbled to the sand, the Tamers ran from the battlefield towards the safety of one of the gates. An earth-shattering quake, however, caused them to trip and fall. David looked up to see that it was DinoBeemon that had fallen.

            "No!" he yelled. "DinoBeemon!" He ran to his Digimon and put a hand on his partner's huge bruised arm, fruitlessly trying to wake him. "DinoBeemon!"

            Lina grabbed her brother's arm. "David, we gotta get out of here before we're squashed!"

            "But DinoBeemon—"

            The huge Insectoid Digimon struggled to his feet. "I'm fine, David. Go!"

            The siblings ran after their friends, who were gathered at the closest gate. The door, however, had been blocked by a column.

            "Goddammit!" Riley roared, pounding furiously on the column.

            "Can we make it to the other side?" Josh wondered.

            "It's too far," said Riku. "If we tried, we'd end up flat as a pancake."

            "Goddammit!" Riley said again.

            There was another earth-shattering quake as Botanimon floored a Devidramon with her Nature Ring. The Devidramon screeched, then disappeared into the sky.

            "We need to do _something_," retorted Riki.

            "Hey guys! Up here!" The Tamers looked up to see that Jessie had scaled one of the huge chunks of stone. "If we climb this," she continued, "we can reach the stands and head up to the top. From there, we'll not only get a great view of the battle, but we can most likely climb down on the exterior scaffolding."

            Lina nodded and started climbing. "Good idea."

            The Tamers climbed up the rocks, eventually reaching the bleachers. They turned around to see the progress of the battle.

            And they were winning.

            Canidimon charred the last Devidramon to the ground with her Crystal Hope attack. She and the others then turned to face the two Megas. "You're next!" she growled.

            VileDevimon held out a clawed hand at Canidimon. "You asssked for it. Sssinissster Ssserpent!" From his hand, a black mist solidified into a snakelike shape with glowing red eyes. It reared up, hissed, and charged at the winged dinosaur.

            "Crystal Hope!"

            Fire and mist collided in midair, but the fire won and tore through the heat of the sun towards VileDevimon. The two Megas fled from their booth, which caught flame and burned to the ground. Satanmon landed heavily on his boots in the sand, and VileDevimon stayed in the air.

            "Split up and attack them simultaneously!" WereGarurumon roared, charging the airborne Mega. "Wolf Claw!"

            VileDevimon suddenly grabbed WereGarurumon's fist, turned, and flung the Ultimate-level Digimon over his shoulder. WereGarurumon was on his feet again at once. He snarled but did nothing until an arrow from Botanimon's crossbow tore through one of VileDevimon's wings. The Mega hissed sharply and turned, only to have an arrow pierce his forehead and skull. VileDevimon tumbled to the arena floor, where Nabikimon, WereGarurumon, Drakomon, and MagnaAngemon tore him to pieces before he was destroyed.

            Meanwhile, the other five were having a more difficult time with Satanmon. The large Minotaur was faster than he looked, and he was dodging Rapidmon's missiles and Canidimon's flame pillars with ease.

            "Damn!" Rukliemon snarled as Satanmon dodged his cannon blasts. "Not even my Double Cannons can hit him!"

            "Try hitting him with everything you've got," Cherrymon suggested. "Pit Pelter!"

            "Double Cannons!"

            "Rapid Fire!"

            "Crystal Hope!"

            "Hell Masquerade!"

            Satanmon held out his hand. "Shield of Darkness!" A black-purple glow spread from his hand to form a circular shield in front of him. The attacks bounced off harmlessly and vaporized.

            "Goddammit!" roared Rukliemon.

            "Calm down, brother wolf," said WereGarurumon suddenly. "We can beat 'im."

            "'Brother wolf'? Getting deep, WereGarurumon?"

            The other wolflike Digimon just grinned. But his grin soon faded as he turned to Satanmon. All ten Ultimates now faced a single Mega.

            Canidimon spread her wings. "Ready? Crystal Hope!"

            "Jump Attack!"

            "Wolf Claw!"

            "Hell Masquerade!"

            "Rapid Fire!"

            "Pit Pelter!"

            "Dramon Charge!"

            "Nature Ring!"

            "Double Cannons!"

            Nabikimon turned to MagnaAngemon. "Quick! Use your Gate of Destiny!"

            MagnaAngemon flew behind Satanmon and called forth a portal to another realm. "Gate of Destiny!" He flew out of the way as the massive golden doors opened, and a vacuum started to pull on everything. Satanmon fruitlessly tried to fight off the vacuum, but he had nothing to hold on to.

            Except one.

            Satanmon reached out with his arm and grabbed MagnaAngemon's leg. As the demon started to enter his eternal prison, he pulled the angel with him.

            "MagnaAngemon!" Josh screamed from the stands.

            A golden staff akin to Angemon's appeared in the Ultimate-level Digimon's hand, and he stuck it between the closing doors of the portal. Angemon kicked Satanmon in the face three times before he was freed. The Angel-type Digimon pulled himself free and yanked the rod from the doors, which closed. The portal then vanished, and all was silent.

            Unbeknownst to all, in the dark depths of the stands' shadows, a being slowly rose from a crouching position… and left.

*          *          *

            The castle was made of old stone, and no one would've guessed the evil that resided within its walls. In the main chamber—the throne room, if you will—a single Digimon dropped to one knee in front of a being concealed in the shadows that dominated half the room.

            "Satanmon and VileDevimon have been defeated, Mistress."

            From the darkness, a voice said, "That's no major loss. They were only pawns, anyway."

            "Yes, Mistress." The Digimon looked up. "What is it you want of me?"

            There was a pause. "Show those children our true power. Do you remember that village? Well, I want it in ruins before the children reach it. And I want _you_ to lead the army. Bring your best burners—those you have personally trained. And make sure you threaten that old one. He will surely tell the children."

            "What if they chose to fight us next, Mistress?"

            "Let them come in…but send them a message from me. Put it in a hologram. You know what to say. Present the message yourself when they arrive, but conceal yourself in darkness. We don't want those children knowing who you are before they even prove themselves."

            "They defeated Satanmon and VileDevimon," the Digimon said pointedly.

            "So? They cannot defeat you, my dear, dear friend." Though the Digimon could not see it, he could feel the demonic grin on his Mistress' face. "They will prove themselves if they reach this castle. Now, go."

            The Digimon stood, saluted, and left the room.

            _Foolish children_, the Mistress thought. _Foolish, foolish children._


	20. A New Evil

Chapter Twenty

A New Evil

            "Weeeee WON!!!" Josh exclaimed happily, skipping along the trail towards Server's beach.

            "Yeah, we realized that three days ago, Josh," said his sister, who trudged along wearily.

            "I think the adrenaline hasn't faded away yet, eh?" commented Jessie.

            "Duh…"

            Daiki ran ahead and climbed a boulder. "Hey! I can see the beach from here! Ah, the smell of the ocean…"

            "Makes me wanna puke," Riku muttered. "I hate the ocean smell… it makes me seasick."

            "Well," said Riki, "when we get our ride, you better get a decent barf bag. It took us four days last time."

            Riku simply glared at him.

            The Tamers gathered at the beach, wondering where their transport was, when a sudden rumbling caught their attention. Curious yet fearful, the Tamers watched as the ocean waves rippled, then parted, and, with ocean spray shooting upwards into the air, a large Digimon emerged from underwater.

            "Hello, children," he said. "I am Whamon. Jijimon sent me to give you a ride. Hop on."

            The Tamers climbed onto Whamon's back, away from the blowhole, and held on tightly as the large aquatic Digimon swam towards File Island. Riku was not happy.

            "We had _Airdramon_ before! Why can't we have Airdramon now!?" she complained.

            "Because," said Whamon sadly, "Airdramon has died."

            "WHAT!!!?" the Tamers screamed.

            "Almost everyone has died."

            "Is it some sort of disease?" asked Riley.

            "No, no… someone burned down the village and killed most of the inhabitants."

            Several jaws dropped, and silence reigned until Compass demanded, "Who!!!?"

            A jet of water gushed out of the blowhole before Whamon replied: "I do not know. Ask Jijimon when we get there."

            There was a long, sad, respectful silence thereafter. All of the Tamers were greatly distressed, but no one was as grievous as Jessie. After all, she had lived there most of her life. To find out that her village, her home, was gone…

            Terriermon patted Jessie on the shoulder. "It's okay, Jess. Be glad that we, at least, lived."

            "But what about everyone else?" she whispered. "What about Nyaromon, and Piximon, and Elecmon, and—"

            "We'll see them again, don't worry. After all, that's what Primary Village is for, right?"

            "But what if that's burned down too? What if…"

            Terriermon put on a reprimanding tone. "Jessie! Don't think that! Just because our village was destroyed doesn't mean you have to give up hope! We're still free, like the waters and the wind." He put a tiny paw on Jessie's D-Force. "We're still free."

            Overcome with emotions, Jessie hugged her Digimon. "Thanks, Terriermon."

            The little rabbit, though, was suddenly irritated. "Ow! You're hugging too hard!"

*          *          *

            "Whamon?"

            "Yes, Mister Riki?"

            "Um… don't call me 'mister'. And you said the village was burned down, right?"

            "Yes…"

            "That was an understatement…"

            It was true, if one looked hard enough. The Tamers were standing at the main gates of the village, wide-eyed and utterly shocked at the sight before them. There was nothing left standing, not even half of a hut, not even a part of wall. It was laid down flat, rubble and debris scattered and heaped onto each other. Burnt grass flew on the stale, smoke-filled breeze. There was no fire left, just smoke and white-gray ash. There were no bodies, either.

            Jessie stepped forward and picked up a piece of blackened wood. "This village wasn't burned," she said darkly as the wood crumbled to bits of coal in her hand. "…It was demolished."

            "Yes, hm, it definitely looks that way, doesn't it?" said a familiar voice.

            Everyone turned to see a bruised Jijimon sitting on a pile of rubble that looked like he himself had formed.

            "Jijimon!" exclaimed Sytamon. "You're safe!"

            "Yes, yes, hm… I am, right? I think so too." Everyone stared at him. "Oh, I'm old… five thousand years have finally caught up with me…"

            "You're not going to… die, are you?" whispered Patamon.

            "Yes, I will some day soon, hm, yes. In fact, I might today. Hm-hm… That is why,"—he coughed for a moment—"I must tell you all you need to know. Hm… Mikara, is it? Riku? I need you to turn on your… ah… computers."

*          *          *

            A few minutes later, everyone was safe in a cave just outside the village. Jijimon patted the laptops and handed them to their respective owners. "I have installed a program in your computers. They are… hm… databases, yes, and provide maps and other such survival needs, hm-hm, like what foods are good to eat, and what aren't. Hmmm… encyclopedias, yes… that's the word."

            Mikara started to protest. "What do we need them for, Jijimon? We've spent half a month here already. We should know—"

            "Ah!" the ancient Digimon replied. "Ah, yes, yes, yes… you need them for Chikyuu, of course… hm…"

            "Chikyuu?" asked Terriermon. "I've never heard of that place before."

            "Chikyuu is a tiny, forgotten island in the middle of… what was it called?" Jijimon lapsed into a few more moments of coughing, then continued in a raspy voice, "Yes, yes… hm… I remember. The Undead Sea…"

            "The Undead Sea?" echoed Vipomon. "But aren't undead things like vampires and… stuff like that?"

            "Yes. It is named thus because nothing but monsters you cannot kill live there… hmmm!" He coughed some more. "Oh, I'm so old, so tired…"

            Jessie knelt down beside the elder Digimon. "Just sit and rest, Jijimon. You'll be fine."

            "Oh! Oh, no I won't. Hahah… I'm too weak to be fine. But I will… hm… yes, I will sit…" He did so, and rested his staff on his lap. "Now listen, Children of Destiny… _cough_… there is a greater evil… greater than Satanmon and Vile—_cough_—Devimon. It resides on Chikyuu Island… and it does not sleep. The evil there… _cough_… so great! So great! Hmmm… so great…"

            David spoke up. "Jijimon, we ought to understand how to get there first…"

            "The map…"

            "Just inform us what this wickedness is and how to vanquish it."

            "The evil… _cough-cough-cough_… does not sleep! It sends minions… hm… Digimon… created for one purpose…" Jijimon had another coughing spasm, and when he was done, his voice was faint. "One purpose alone, hmm… to obey… to destroy… to kill…" He closed his eyes, though none could really tell it, and he relaxed.

            "…Jijimon?" whispered Terriermon.

            "Beware!" cried the ancient Digimon, startling everyone. "Beware the dragons!!! Yes! _Cough-cough_! Beware the dragons!

            Vipomon stepped forward. "Does that mean—"

            "No! _Cough-cough-cough_… Beware the dragons of Chikyuu, hmm! They shall crush you, yes, if you do not defend your…selves…"

            Mikara was worriedly wringing her hands. "Jijimon… You haven't told us everything yet… How do we stop this evil?"

            "You must… _cough_… find that out for yourselves, hm?" Jijimon raised a finger. "One more thing… do not be deceived… by innocence… because Chikyuu… shrouded by innocence… demon in angel's disguise… innocence… beware the dragons… do not… be… deceived…" And then, as the last of his strength gave way, he uttered, "Cards… parents… they will help… you…" And he died, promptly vanishing in a cloud of data.

            Jessie suddenly got up and ran after the data. "JIJIMON!!!" And she fell to her knees, trembling.

            "Jijimon will be avenged, Jessie," said a small yet determined voice. Jessie looked up to see Josh standing there. "I might be the youngest here, but I know one thing—we can't give up hope, because if we give up hope, we can't go onwards." The Crest Pendant around Josh's neck started to glow with Hope engraved on its surface. "So come on. We can't waste time."

            Terriermon patted his Tamer on the shoulder. "Grandpa Jijimon will be fine. We'll come back for him, Jess. Don't worry."

            "Yeah…" The girl nodded and stood up. "We'll come back for him."

*          *          *

            The happy faces of the original Tamers filled Riku's computer screen. "Oh, that's wonderful, kids!" exclaimed Jeri. "I'm so glad you defeated the evil."

            "Yeah, and we're so glad you finally decided to call us," added Henry, a little annoyed-looking.

            Riki grinned nervously. "Right, Dad…"

            "So are you heading home now? Please say you are…" Suzie begged.

            The Tamers exchanged glances before Josh said, "We can't. We have to go fight another evil. We don't know who or what it is yet, but Jijimon told us to find it at Chikyuu Island. Sound familiar to you?"

            Sado shook his head. "No, son, it doesn't."

            Mikara pushed her way to the screen. "Mom! Dad! How is Chikiyo?"

            Suzie had a pained look on her face. "She is…" And she said no more, for tears started to course down her cheeks.

            "She is dead," whispered Sado, trying to comfort his wife.

            A shrill cry from Mikara caused everyone to start, and the girl was soon on her knees, weeping. Josh too was crying, but he was silent. He knew he had to be strong, for his older sister.

            Riley and Lina went to comfort Mikara. Josh stood firmly in front of the computer and said, "Mom… Dad… we won't let you down."

            "Don't die too," Takato said. It sounded like an order.

            "We won't, Mr. Matsuki. We won't. That we promise you."

            David spoke up. "Before Jijimon… _died_… he said to get cards from you. …What cards?"

            Rika then smiled suddenly. "Finally. I've been waiting for this day, to pass on my cards to my children. You see, David, there are special cards called modify cards that can be used in the card game. However, they can be used in real life. Just slash them through your digivices and say, 'Digi Modify.' When you do, your Digimon is, well… modified." She held up a card. "See this? This is a key modify card called _Digivolution_. It digivolves your Rookies to Champion easily."

            Daiki grinned. "Cool, Mom! Can we have 'em now?"

            In just a few minutes' time, the new Tamers had the cards of their parents. After instructing their children how to use them, they logged off and the screen went blank.

            Mikara joined Jessie near the mouth of the cave, cards in hand. "It seems," she said, "that we must fight now with these new weapons."

            "We're not going to let anyone die anymore," agreed Jessie. "I must thank Riku's parents for lending me these cards. They will be useful." Her grip on her cards tightened. "Because we are _not_ letting anyone else die, no matter what the evil." She held her D-Force high in the air, at an enemy far away. "Do you hear me!? We're not going to let you kill anymore!"

            Hidden among the rocks high above them, a shadow disappeared into more blackness, its two glowing eyes the only thing visible. _It's time to leave_, it thought to itself, then vanished.


	21. Chikyuu and Her Might

Chapter Twenty-One

Chikyuu and Her Might

            "So…" Lina said darkly. "This is the Undead Sea…"

            "I dare not enter it," said Whamon. "It's not a place Digimon—or humans, even—are safe in. Its waters are legendary for killing thousands."

            Josh squinted at the horizon. "We're not going to die. But you don't have to go on if you don't want to, Whamon."

            "That's right," Gabumon agreed. "You can go back home now."

            A jet of water shot upwards from Whamon's blowhole. "No. I am going to bring you to Chikyuu, and I shall await your return at the beach."

            Sytamon nodded. "Thanks."

            Whamon swam through the murky, jet-black waters of the Undead Sea. He dared not even open his mouth for a lunch of the strange, semi-transparent fish. So, he swam onwards, never slowing or halting, until nightfall, when the island of Chikyuu was visible.

            Whamon slowed as the beach came into sight. He set off another stream of water, effectively waking up the Tamers. They jumped from his back and landed on the soft, fine sand.

            "This place…it looks like paradise…" Riku observed.

            "Remember what Jijimon said?" Jessie retorted. "This place is shrouded in innocence…in deception."

            Lina adjusted her goggles. "Well. Let's go."

            "I don't think leaving now is such a good idea," Terriermon said uneasily. "Don't you think islands shrouded in deception would appear safe at night, but in reality, there would be evil monsters lurking about?"

            "You're absolutely correct," said a voice. The Tamers and their Digimon turned to see a being leaning against a tree, two red eyes glowing ominously. It was mostly concealed in darkness, but what moonlight hit it only accentuated that it was big, muscular, and dragon-ish.

            "Who are you?" Riki demanded, fists clenched.

            "You need not know my name just yet. I am simply a messenger to a greater being far superior than I. So here is the message: welcome."

            "Welcome? That's it?" asked Tetramon skeptically.

            The shadow continued: "Welcome, Tamers of legend, to Chikyuu Island. I'm not going to tell you where I am or why I'm here. But you know what, Tamers? You're not looked upon well here. You, in the eye of my superior, are nothing but poor excuses."

            That got them indignant. "_Poor excuses_!?" Mikara screamed. "We defeated Satanmon and VileDevimon, for cryin' out loud!"

            The being smirked. "Oh, sure, you defeated them…_the weakest of the evils_! Now, let me tell you this: you are currently poor excuses, but if you prove yourselves in four tests that Chikyuu herself will force you to undertake, my superior might think otherwise of you. So tell me, Tamers, do you accept the challenge?" It sneered. "Or are you too cowardly, too comfortable with knowing you destroyed expendable pawns such as Satanmon and VileDevimon that you will not accept such a test from my superior?"

            Daiki snapped. "I've had enough of you and your shit! Tetramon!"

            "Right! Tetra Blast!" White energy shaped like a spire escaped Tetramon's mouth and sped towards the shadow. The spire went _through_ the being and hit the tree behind it, making the tree explode.

            "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" the being mock-scolded them. "What a pathetic Digimon, wasting time and energy just to destroy a tree…in an attempt to destroy me."

            "It's…a hologram!" David suddenly exclaimed.

            "A wha…?" asked Wormmon.

            "A hologram! It's not actually here. It's…remarkable technology…"

            Lina smacked her brother upside the head. "Now's not the time to marvel at evil's technological advancements, okay!?"

            "Whatever."

            Morglormon glared at the being. "What's the first challenge?"

            The being smirked some more. "That…" It tilted its head to the depths of the island. "…is for you to decide." And it vanished.

            "That was extremely disturbing," said Riley after a moment of silence.

            "You said it," Patamon squeaked.

            "So…" said Riki slowly, "what are the four tests?"

            Josh piped up. "Deception is one, because remember? This island is full of deception."

            "Right, okay."

            Gabumon watched the ocean lap at the beach. "I'm thinking water. This is an island, right?"

            Riku groaned. "Not more water!"

            Mikara shook her head. "This is crazy. I mean…THIS IS _INSANE_!"

            David turned to Jessie. "Do you recognize that Digimon? The one in the hologram?"

            Jessie and Terriermon looked at each other. "Nope," they said at the same time.

            Sighing, Lina sat down. "We might as well rest here for tonight," she said. "I don't wanna get caught in one of those tests and not realize it."

*          *          *

            "They've come."

            "Good. Do you recall the old mining tunnel near the Chikyuu beach?"

            "Yes. It's rumored to have shaky foundations, and that many Digimon and humans were buried alive there."

            "I know."

            "Is that where they must go next?"

            "Yes."

*          *          *

            The next day, the Tamers trudged into the forest. They were alert and wary, not wanting to come across anything that might lead them astray. They walked like that for thirty minutes before relaxing a bit. Chikyuu hadn't done anything horrible yet.

            Then…

            "Help me!" screamed a voice.

            "What was that?" Josh cried, grabbing Mikara's sleeve.

            "It sounded like a Salamon," said Terriermon, one ear standing up.

            "Help! Help me!" the voice cried again.

            Lina ran off. "Come on! We have to help it!"

            Compass ran after her, and everyone else followed. "Wait for us!"

            After a moment of running, Compass yelped in surprise as Lina suddenly appeared in her line of vision. She abruptly stopped running, almost bumping into her friend. But at that moment, everyone else rammed into her, and they all fell in a heap on the ground.

            "Hey! Watch it!"

            "Owwww!!! My ear! Someone's on my ear!"

            "Daiki, you're heavy! Get offa me!"

            "Why did we stop?"

            Tetramon wriggled out of the heap and landed flat on his face. "Whew…I'm outta there…" He stood up and found himself staring at a pained expression on the face of a Salamon.

            "Help…please…" she whimpered. A huge log pinned her left hind leg to the ground.

            Tetramon turned to Daiki. "I need to digivolve! Use a card!"

            Daiki pulled his arms free and slashed a card through his D-Force. "Digi Modify! Digivolution activate!"

            "Tetramon digivolve to…Chagremon!" The huge wolf rammed the log with his shoulder, and it rolled off the Salamon.

            The minute Digimon jumped up and beamed at Chagremon. "Thankies! Bye-bye now!" And she zoomed off into the dark tunnel that was suddenly in front of them.

            "What's this?" asked Riley, peering into the tunnel.

            Terriermon sniffed the air. "It smells…like a mine."

            Daiki piped up. "I have a question. Why is it that that little Salamon could run into the mine when a big log was on its leg?" There was a moment of silence. "Something smells fishy about it, and I'm going to find out. Come on, Chagremon."

            The Champion-level Digimon followed his Tamer into the depths of the tunnel.

            "Wait! Daiki!" Riki exclaimed, running after his brother with Vipomon at his heels.

            Everyone stared at each other for a moment before running into the mine after the two boys and their Digimon.

*          *          *

            Patamon squirmed in Josh's arms. "We've been walking a long time. Don't you think we should…I don't know…turn back?"

            "What if we're almost there?" asked Jessie. "Then we can't turn back.

            "It's so dark in here," Petalmon observed, looking around at the blackness. "It's a good thing you've got your flashlight, right, Riku?"

            Her Tamer nodded. "That's right." She was in the lead with the flashlight out in front of her.

            Sytamon stopped. "Wait."

            "What?" asked Lina, stopping and looking at her friend. "What is it?"

            "I hear something…and I feel something…"

            "Like what?"

            "Something bad's gonna happen…"

            There was a sudden rumbling, and David sneezed as a cloud of dirt and dust fell on his head. The rumbling grew louder until everyone understood what was happening: a cave-in.

            "Let's get outta here!" Mikara screamed, and they all ran. The dirt and rocks above them fell heavily, but that did not stop them. They ran and ran and ran until the earth overtook them.

            And then all was quiet once more.

*          *          *

_Author's Note_: Don't worry—no one died. And for those of you who contributed characters to this fanfic, I'll need your emails them just one more time (sorry; my computer got reformatted and I lost them). Actually, _I_ don't need them, but fellow author Senashenta does. I'll inform you why when this fanfic is over. :)


	22. Challenge 1: Buried Alive

Chapter Twenty-Two

Challenge 1: Buried Alive

            The dragon Digimon grinned. "They fell for it, and it was all because of that little black-haired punk and his Chagremon."

            The being sitting at the 'throne', however, kept a blank look. "Don't be fooled by that simple act, my friend. They are not dead."

            "But of course, Mistress," said the Digimon hurriedly. "You are always right."

            "But while we're waiting for them to emerge, send a message to that river snake up north. Tell him I wish to speak with him." There was a pause. "You know who I'm talking about. Now, get to it!"

            The dragon-type pressed a button on the wall. "Call the river snake," was the order.

            The huge holo-screen that had shown the cave-in became blank. The master of Chikyuu stood up and waited until the holo-screen was filled with color again. A serpentine Digimon was curled up in front of it.

            "Hello, WaruSeadramon."

            "You! What is it?" the Digimon snapped.

            "There are some children on this island. They're Tamers, or so they say."

            WaruSeadramon sneered. "That is old news. I knew that the moment they entered the Undead Sea, because I command the waters and know all!"

            The dragon Digimon stepped forward angrily. "You know nothing compared to my Mistress!"

            "You know least of all," the huge serpentine Digimon roared back, "for you serve one of their kind, who sought to destroy us many years ago."

            "I am _honored_ to serve a survivor of Chikyuu. Yes, the people slaughtered our kind, but they did it because they felt threatened by our superiority. Don't you feel threatened now that my Mistress has gained more power than you could ever achieve?"

            Then a sudden command: "STOP IT! THE BOTH OF YOU!" And the room was suddenly filled with a blast of radiance, bright and blue like the crystal waters, yet containing a sort of evil that could not be explained. The dragon Digimon and the WaruSeadramon in the holo-screen both cowered by the sudden surge of power.

            The light faded a bit, but it was contained in a bubble in the center of the room. And within the bubble of evil light, a thirteen-year-old human girl stood. She had short black hair and equally black eyes. She wore a three-quarter-length sleeved black shirt, a black skirt, and boots. At her belt was an orange D-Force.

            "WaruSeadramon," she then said, "you have your duty. A duty is a duty, no matter what, and that is to protect the waters and keep them unspoiled."

            The huge Digimon in the holo-screen growled, but he nodded. "As you wish, _human_." And the screen went blank once more.

            The bubble then vanished, and the girl swayed a little, as if suddenly dizzy. Her dragon Digimon caught her as she fell to her knees.

            "Mistress, you mustn't use your energy like that. You're growing weak," he scolded her.

            The human girl pushed away from her Digimon. "I'm not weak," she grated. "I'm just…I'm just tired. I'm going to get some sleep." She started to walk off, then stopped. "Oh…and Strikemon?"

            "Yes?"

            "…Thank you. For always being there." And she then disappeared into the blackness of the room.

*          *          *

            The forest was silent, but as the minutes dragged on, a whirring sound became evident. And then, in a massive explosion of dirt and rock, Sytamon burst from the ground, her foreclaws having transformed into drills.

            The Tamers and their Digimon scrambled out of the tunnel and breathed a huge sigh of relief. They had survived the cave-in.

            Lina held up a card. "Wow. This Digmon's Drill modify card really came in handy." _Thanks, Dad…_

            "And we couldn't have endured that cave-in without Wormmon's aid," added David. His Digimon was perched atop his shoulder, half-asleep with exhaustion. "Who knew Sticky Net could hold up so much earth?"

            "Do you think that was the first test?" asked Josh. "Cos I'm scared now. If that's the first test…what if…"

            Patamon patted his Tamer on the head. "Don't worry. Next test, I'll protect you. You won't have to protect me." He grinned. "And by the way, thanks, Josh."

            The ten-year-old boy nodded. "No problem."

            Compass pulled at the hem of her shirt. "Great! We're covered in dirt and stuff…yuck… Is there a river where we can wash off or something?"

            Gabumon sniffed the air. "Yeah!" He pointed northeast. "Thatta way."

            So the Tamers trudged to the river, and when they found it, they were pleased. It was crystal clear, and fish swam freely in its waters.

            "A bath _and_ lunch!" Riku exclaimed thankfully.

            So, laughing and yelling wildly, the Tamers and their Digimon jumped into the water.

            All but one.

            "Hey, Mikara!" yelled Nekomon. "Aren't you going to join us?"

            The girl in question looked uneasy. "I…I don't think washing up in this river is such a good idea…"

            "Why not? Afraid the fish'll bite?" laughed Riki.

            Mikara glared at him. "No. But—"

            "Oh, come _on_, Mikara," said Josh. "The water's really nice and cool, and the fish don't bite at all." He scrambled out and pushed his sister into the water, then jumped in himself. "See?"

            Mikara coughed and spat water from her mouth. "No! You don't get it! There's something wrong with the water!"

            Everyone stared at her. "What???" they all cried out.

            "What's wrong with it?" asked Jessie.

            There was then a sudden rumbling akin to that of the cave-in, only it sounded…wet. The Tamers turned upstream in time to see a huge wave of water rush at them. Yelling with surprise (and fear, for those who didn't like water that much), the Tamers tried to scramble out of the river, but the wave was too fast for them. It hit them with a sudden force that dazed most of them. Those that could think clearly were in a state of panic as the waters rushed them downstream.

*          *          *

            _Mikara…_

_            Mikara, wake up. Wake up._

_            Come on, Mikara. You can do this. Wake up._

_            NOW._

            Mikara sat bolt-upright, rigid with the memories of being washed downstream by a violent flood. She had tried to warn them…but they insisted on staying in the river. Josh had pushed her…but everything after that was blurry.

            "Mikara! You're awake!" cried a voice. It was David.

            "David? Where are we?" she asked.

            The boy shrugged. "I don't know."

            "You're supposed to be the genius."

            "I know, but this location puzzles me. It's like we're underwater, only not, and we're in enormous bubbles."

            It was true. The two of them were floating in separate bubbles in a great blue expanse. There were smaller bubbles that floated to the top in groups, and the light from above danced in intricate patterns through the water. And there were other bubbles similar to their own that held the other Tamers. The Digimon were nowhere to be seen.

            A sudden shadow loomed over them, and they turned around to see a WaruSeadramon glaring at them. "Ah, you're awake," he observed. "What a pleasure it is to finally meet the Tamers I've heard so much about."

            "What do want from us?" asked Mikara. "And where have you taken our Digimon?"

            The WaruSeadramon grinned. "Oh…somewhere. Don't worry. They won't be harmed…yet. For the meanwhile, I suggest you wake up your friends there." He gestured with his tail to the other bubbles. "You might need their help." And the huge serpentine Digimon swam off.

            Mikara hit the inside of her bubble in anger. "Damn it! We're stuck here, and our Digimon have been taken away from us!"

            "Wait," said David. "These are bubbles. Perhaps we can burst them. Try striking yours again, Mikara."

            "Uh, okay…" The girl hit her bubble again, but nothing happened.

            David sat cross-legged in his bubble and stared at the wall, absorbed in his thoughts. After a moment of silence, he took out a needle, took a deep breath, and skewered the bubble wall with the tiny instrument. It popped.

            David swam towards Mikara's bubble and popped hers. They both then swam to the others' bubbles and went _through_ the wall material, waking up the others. When everyone but Lina was awake, they swam to her bubble and went through it.

            "Lina! Lina, wake up!" David exclaimed.

            "Huh…?" his sister muttered. She opened her eyes, then sat up. "Where are we!?"

            "Somewhere underwater, and there's a huge WaruSeadramon around here somewhere," Riley replied.

            "So how do you propose we get outta this mess?" asked Riki.

            Daiki piped up. "Well, since the bubbles can't be popped from the inside without a needle's help, we can roll this bubble wherever we need it and still breathe."

            "Good idea," said Lina. "Let's do it!"


	23. Challenge 2: Underwater

Chapter Twenty-Three

Challenge 2: Underwater

            Daiki stopped walking and just sat on the bubble's inside. "We've been rolling this thing for _how_ long?"

            Lina looked down at her watch. "Almost an hour."

            "No wonder I feel exhausted," grumbled Riku, slumping against the bubble material.

            "Come on, guys! We have to do this!" said Riki. "Otherwise, we're stuck here!"

            "Well…" Jessie poked the top of the bubble. "We could go _up_."

            Everyone looked up at the shimmering yellow and white of the sun's rays through the water.

            "That's a long way up," Compass observed. "And how do you suggest we get up there?"

            "Er…I haven't figured that out yet."

            Suddenly, WaruSeadramon's distinct shadow loomed over them, and his glaring expression stared at them from the other side of the bubble. "Well, well, it seems that the Tamers _are_ smarter than they look. But not smart enough."

            There was another rumbling, and the waters started to churn and flow as if a might hurricane was sweeping over the land. The bubble, strong as it was, got caught in the rush of waves and was sucked into WaruSeadramon's great palace. The huge serpent followed them, unperturbed by the violence above and around, and found them in a tall glass chamber. There were two openings near the top that were currently sealed, and a sliding glass panel was also in the center of the ceiling. Three meters away, a similar glass chamber held ten unconscious Rookies.

            "No! Nekomon!" cried Mikara, noticing the sleek black Digimon.

            "Vipomon! Get up, Vipomon!" Riki yelled fruitlessly.

            Compass banged against the glass wall. "You monster!" she roared at WaruSeadramon. "Let them out! Now!"

            The huge Digimon sneered. "Like I would. Besides, it would be fun watching you drown to death. Of course, I must give you one hour before the water fills these chambers. Too bad. But it's not like you'll get out, anyway. You're too big to fit through the holes, and the panels only unlock from the outside. And all your Digimon are unconscious." He grinned. "Too bad. Well, I must go now. I'll be back in one hour to collect your limp corpses and add them to my collection."

            Eerie laughter hung in the water and WaruSeadramon turned and swam away. The water holes slid open a little and water gushed in, slowly but steadily. The same happened to the Digimon's chamber.

            "Great," Riku grumbled. "Surrounded by water outside _and_ inside. How peachy can it get?"

            Riley tilted her head back to look up. "There's gotta be some way out. Maybe one of us could pick these locks."

            "Even if we could," said Josh, "there's no way me or Daiki could reach that panel."

            "Daiki or I," Mikara corrected.

            Lina shook her head. "I don't believe this. We're stuck in a dangerous situation and we can't get out? Come on! Stop being so dispirited! We'll get out. Daiki, Josh—can either of you swim?"

            Josh shook his head.

            Daiki nodded. "I can dog paddle."

            "That's…not exactly what she meant, Daiki," said Jessie.

            "Riley, can _you_ unlock that panel?" asked Lina.

            The girl shrugged. "Maybe. Why? What's your plan?"

            "We'll wait for the water to rise up enough, and then you can reach up and unlock it.  Of course, all of us will have to tread water, take a big gulp before we push open the panel, swim out, and unlock the Digimon's chamber."

            "That will take longer than it seems," David commented. "How about this idea…" And he told them his plan. Everyone agreed it was better than Lina's, and it provided less dangers.

*          *          *

            Daiki twisted the match so the last peg snapped into place. "All right! I got it!" he called down.

            "Great, Daiki," Riki grated. "Hurry up and open it. You, Josh, and the girls are getting _really_ heavy now…"

            "Hey!" Jessie poked him in the shoulder, balancing easily on just a hand and her two knees. "I'm not weighing you down at all!"

            "Fine…I stand corrected."

            All ten of them were stacked up, in a sense. David, Riki, and Jessie were at the bottom, since they were thought to be the strongest. Next came Lina and Mikara, then Riley and Compass, then Riku and Josh, then Daiki.

            "It's a good thing this box isn't as tall as we thought it was," said the black-haired boy as he carefully started to slide the panel to the left. "Ready guys? On the count of three, take a deep breath. One…" The panel slid over more, and water gushed in, drenching everyone a bit. "Two…" More water came pouring down. "Three!" In one quick motion, Daiki slid the panel off and took a deep breath. Water immediately flooded the chamber, but all of the Tamers were ready.

            As Riki, Jessie, and Lina pulled Daiki to the next chamber, the others brought those who could not swim to the surface. The four below them worked furiously. Daiki swiftly unlocked the panel and squeezed through, quickly closing the panel so the water wouldn't come and drown the still-unconscious Digimon.

            "Tetramon! Sytamon! Vipomon!" Daiki yelled, effectively waking up the Digimon. "Terriermon! Is that you, Petalmon?" He counted the Digimon. "Wait—where's Patamon?"

            The winged pig-like Digimon landed atop his head. "I'm right here," he squeaked.

            Daiki nodded. "Let's go."

            With the Digimon's help, he reached the ceiling again and slid the panel open. The eleven beings rose to the surface, but on their way, a bolt of electricity sliced through the water where Daiki's head way just a split second before. WaruSeadramon floated just a few meters away, visibly angry.

            "You're not getting away!" he hollered, letting off another bolt. Tetramon pushed his Tamer away, only to get electrified.

            At Daiki's silent cry, the waters churned around and around the Tamer and the Digimon. A miniature whirlpool appeared, and Daiki and the Digimon seemingly hovered in the center of it all. WaruSeadramon stared in outrage.

            "What power is this!?" he screamed, ramming the whirlpool. But a sudden brilliance surrounded the eddy, and WaruSeadramon tumbled head over tail away from the vortex.

            "What's happening?" Morglormon asked quietly.

            "_Daiki! Go now!_" said a voice, though it reverberated in all their minds. "_I have opened a path to the surface, but my powers cannot hold it for long. Go now!_"

            Nekomon stood confidently by herself, glowing with a sapphire blue light—the same light that surrounded the whirlpool. She opened her almond-shaped eyes and looked right at the boy. "_Go. We will hold it until you are safe on Whamon's back._"

            Daiki nodded, took Tetramon in his arms, and seemingly floated to the surface with the other Digimon (besides Nekomon). Whamon was waiting there with the other Tamers on his back. Daiki and the Digimon scrambled up and into the others' arms. There was much yelling and crying and hugging.

            But Mikara stood in front of Whamon's blowhole, the massive stream of water spraying her back. "_All is well_," said the voice. "_I'm coming back._"

            A pillar of water shot out from the whirlpool, and its violent waters stopped circling and became calm. The water column splashed onto Whamon's back in front of Mikara and coalesced in Nekomon. Mikara knelt down and hugged her Digimon.

            "Nekomon…"

            The cat-like Digimon purred softly. "_We are now safe, Mikara. You needn't worry._"

*          *          *

            Strikemon stretched out on the broad limb of a gigantic tree on the bank of the Judgment River. He was an orange dragon-type Digimon—one of the last of his near-extinct subtype. A black skull was tattooed on his left shoulder, and the traditional yellow slash mark of his clan was painted on his right shoulder. A red bandana was tied around his right upper arm, half-covering the clan mark. A revolving blaster—similar to the handheld revolver of Earth, only with laser blasts instead of bullets—hung loosely in its holster at his belt. He was an assassin and a loyal partner, though his job had taken a turn to 'personal servant' when he and his Tamer entered the Digital World.

            But even a personal servant has his fun, as Strikemon soon found out. Because of his Mistress' power, he was soon the fastest, strongest, and toughest Digimon in the Known Lands. Of course, there were still others more powerful than he was, but they were beyond his reach in the Forbidden Territory.

            But he still had the pleasures of watching and destroying all who displeased his Mistress.

            And Strikemon was inwardly laughing as WaruSeadramon cowered before the thirteen-year-old human girl.

            "You foolish Digimon!" the Mistress roared. "How could you have been so weak as to let them get away like that? You were in your own realm, yet a whirlpool created by a simple Rookie threw you off-balance. I am disgraced by your presence and your idiocy! One does not charge into battle alone, WaruSeadramon. One seeks aid of those worthy for the cause. But you are as worthy as you are minute in size."

            The serpentine Digimon hid his snout in the water as a sign of surrender. "I promise—I'll do better next time. They were just too crafty. I didn't think they were that smart."

            "You idiot! Never underestimate your opponents, no matter how small or weak they seem to be. What one lacks in strength, he makes up with intellect."

            "I will remember the next time I challenge them."

            The Mistress glared at WaruSeadramon. "There won't _be_ a next time."

            Strikemon felt it coming. He could feel it crawling up his spine—that sudden chill whenever someone was about to die. He'd grown used to it; it was his job to dispose of the pathetic fool, anyway.

            Then came the command that he had been waiting for.

            "Strikemon!"

            The dragon-like Digimon jumped from his tree, his hand reflexively dropping to the loaded blaster at his belt.

            The Mistress turned back at WaruSeadramon. "Tell me, snake—what happens to the fool who displeases me?"

            Red eyes widening, the WaruSeadramon nestled deeper into the Judgment River's water. "I—I promised to do better—"

            "Better is not enough, coming from you." She smiled then, though it looked like an evil, shrewd smirk. "Goodbye, WaruSeadramon."

            That was Strikemon's cue. Faster than the eye could blink, he whipped out his gun and fired once. The laser shot burned a smoking hole in WaruSeadramon's forehead. The huge water snake's eyes glazed over, and he vanished, his data flowing on the water's surface.

            Strikemon blew the smoke from his gun's muzzle, twirled it deftly in his taloned hand, and slid it into its holster. "That was the cleanest shot I've fired. Ever."

            The human girl turned and walked off, her hands folded behind her back. "Come, Strikemon. We must watch the Tamers as they head for the third challenge."


	24. Challenge 3: Journey Through Hell

Chapter Twenty-Four

Challenge 3: Journey through Hell

            Lina wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Whew! It's damn hot in here! Why do we have to pass through here?"

            "Don't you remember? That Koromon said the evil castle is just beyond this valley," said Nekomon.

            The Tamers and their Digimon were at the entrance of a long, lava-filled valley. In the center of the valley was a path made of rock. It looked precariously narrow.

            David pushed his glasses up his nose. "Right. We undertake this challenge one behind the other. Okay? I-I'll go first…"

            "No way!" exclaimed Riki. "Vipomon's part-fire, so we'll go first."

            "…Whatever you say…"

            Riki took a step forward, then another. After deciding that the ledge was safe enough, he slowly made his way across the valley. Vipomon followed him, careful not to bump into his Tamer lest he fall into the lava.

            Riley set her jaw. "Right. My turn. Coming, Gabumon?" The two followed Riki and Daiki, and Riley quietly prayed silently to her ancestors to protect her.

            And so, one by one, the Tamers slowly headed for the opposite side. The heat was intense, but surprisingly not dangerous—except to Petalmon and Morglormon. The two plant-like Digimon were parched and blackening.

            Riku poked Jessie in the shoulder to get her attention.

            "Ahhhh!" the other girl cried out suddenly. She turned to look behind her. "Shit! Don't do that, Riku!"

            "Sorry. …I don't think Petalmon will make it." The winged plant-like Digimon was in Riku's arms, a look of pain and exhaustion on her face. "She's…well…"

            "Don't worry," Lina called from ahead of them, obviously noticing Riku's concern. "We're almost there."

            "Not yet, you're not!" came a gruff voice. Lava erupted into the sky, and when it fell back to the ground, six Meramon were surrounding the Tamers.

            "We're trapped!" Riki yelled to the others, taking a step backwards.

            Petalmon's voice suddenly broke the silence. "No…we're not…" She jumped from Riku's arms and stood facing three of the six Meramon. "Sytamon, I'll need your help."

            The dinosaur-like Digimon nodded. "I get it." Sytamon stood above Petalmon facing the opposite direction.

            "Ready?"

            "Hell, yeah!"

            Simultaneously, Sytamon's facial markings and Petalmon's head flower glowed with a fierce, bright light.

            "Prism Sun!"

            "Energy Beam!"

            The two white beams sliced through the air. The two Digimon swung their heads so all of the Meramon were hit with the rays they had conjured.

            The Meramon sank into the lava, and after a moment of silence, the Tamers decided all was over.

            "That was too easy," observed Compass.

            Josh motioned for her to keep walking. "Whatever. Let's just get going."

            The Tamers walked on for a while, wondering if they were heading deeper into a trap the Meramon had set. Their doubts had almost vanished, however, when a sudden rumbling caught them off-guard.

            "What's going on!?" cried Mikara, waving her arms wildly in an attempt to maintain her balance. She tilted backwards and slammed into David.

            "Ouch…" the boy grated.

            "S-sorry…"

            Meanwhile, the others were having the same problem.

            "Yaaah! Riki, help!"

            "Daiki! I…gotcha!"

            "Is it an earthquake, Jessie?"

            "I don't know. Let's hope not!"

            The narrow pathway suddenly split into two. Riki, Vipomon, Riley, Gabumon, Nekomon, Mikara, David, and Wormmon were on one side, and the exit was only a few meters away. But the rest of them were floating away on a chunk of the ledge that had broken off.

            "Wormmon, use your Silk Thread!" David ordered.

            The caterpillar-like Digimon grabbed the floating chunk of rock with his attack and worked furiously to secure the two ends with a soft, yet strong, silk rope.

            "Jump!" Gabumon called to the others trapped on the other end of the rope. "Hurry!"

            "It's too far a jump!" Tetramon called back. "We can't make it! No one can!"

            "Damn…"

            Lina turned to Riku. "Can Petalmon secure a bridge to the other side?" she asked.

            Riku shook her head. "She's too weak. That last attack used up all her strength."

            "I could probably jump across," suggested Terriermon.

            "Yeah, but what about the rest of us?" asked Daiki. "What're _we_ to do?"

            "Er…"

            "Yeah. That's exactly what I thought."

            Nekomon's urgent cry interrupted their thoughts. "Hurry! Wormmon's silk is snapping!"

            It was true. The silk rope was being fried, and the bonds were breaking. No matter what Wormmon did, nothing could reinforce it.

            Morglormon tried to think. "There's gotta be a way to…" he said weakly. Then he brightened a bit. "Terriermon!"

            "Huh?" the digital rabbit asked.

            "You can use your Terrier Tornado."

            "What'll that do?"

            "If you position yourself correctly, it can propel us towards the others."

            Terriermon glanced at the lava, then at the breaking rope. He pulled a grim expression. "You're right. I'll try it. If I burn my ears off…at least we'll be safe!" He grabbed hold of Jessie's pants leg so he wouldn't fall in the lava while he did his attack, then cried out, "Terrier Tornado!"

            The miniature cyclone not only pushed the chunk of rock forward, but the lava around them flew in the opposite direction.

            "Hahah!" Daiki exclaimed. "Lava surfing!"

            "NOT FUNNY!" Tetramon countered, clinging onto his Tamer for dear life.

            The landing was so abrupt that the Tamers and their Digimon collided with those safely on the other side, and the whole of them went tumbling end-over-end down a grassy slope.

            "How many times has this happened to us?" Vipomon groaned, irritated.

*          *          *

            Meanwhile, in the Real World…

            Rika sat at her desk and stared at the pile of tests her students had taken that morning. She had just finished correcting them. _I'm sure Riki would've gotten an A-plus on his…_ she mused.

            A sudden knock snapped her out of her thoughts.

            "Come in!" she called.

            Henry entered. Smiling, he kissed his wife, then looked over at the tests on her desk. "Busy day, huh?"

            Smiling also, Rika nodded. "Like every day. And you? Why are you off so early?"

            "Not many students came today, and since Lina's off in the Digital World, I have no one to personally train." He glanced at the contents of the desk, then stopped at the picture of their sons. An eight-year-old Riki and a four-year-old Daiki were covered from head to toe in mud. "I remember that. You were screaming your head off at them."

            "Yeah. …I miss them, Henry." She frowned. "Every day I wonder if we'll see them again. I know they call us…but…what if something happens to them after they do?"

            Grinning now, Henry lightly punched his wife on the shoulder. "Now who's the worrywart? You never cared about this stuff before, Rika."

            "That's because they were safe before!"

            Grin fading, Henry nodded solemnly. "Yeah…I know what you mean." He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Let's just hope they're all right."

*          *          *

_Author's Note_: Six more chapters till the end!


	25. Challenge 4: Forest of Demise

Chapter Twenty-Five

Challenge 4: Forest of Demise

            The next day…

            "I'M HUNGRY!" Compass yelled irritably, slouching against a tree and scowling.

            "We _all_ are," Riku shot back. "So shut up!"

            "Why don't you, ya freakin' bi—"

            "STOPPIT!" cried Petalmon and Morglormon. They jumped between their Tamers to separate them.

            Compass stuck her nose in the air. "Well, I didn't start it."

            Riku glared at her. "Yes you did!"

            "Did not!"

            "Did too!"

            "Did not!"

            "Shut up!"

            "Why don't you?"

            Everyone except the arguing pair sighed heavily. To pass the time until Riku and Compass stopped, Riki got Vipomon to fly up into the canopy of trees and see how far the nearest castle was. Vipomon returned a moment later.

            "What did you see?" asked Josh.

            "Nothing much except forest and more forest," the winged Digimon replied, curling up on a patch of moss. "There was a break in the forest, though, like a circular clearing. It's over that way." He pointed with his tail.

            Compass, who had returned from her argument with the still sour Riku, overheard Vipomon's report. "That's northwest. How far northwest, Vipomon?"

            "It didn't look too far; maybe a day or two from here."

            Lina abruptly stood up. "Right! Let's go!"

            Compass pouted. "But I'm hungry!"

            "Then eat." Everyone stared as Vipomon produced ten small, red apples, carefully folded in a broad leaf and tucked under one arm.

            "Apples!" Patamon and Tetramon exclaimed.

            "Where'd you get them, Vipomon?" asked Riki.

            "They were near the top boughs of this tree." Vipomon looked up at the foliage above them. "It's really high up though, where the branches start to get thinner."

            "Well, let's get some more," said Riley.

            Vipomon rose from his seat. "I'll get them. Don't worry—I won't eat any when you're not looking." He flew up again, and before long, miniature apples showered everything below the tree's branches.

            "Ahhh!" cried Sytamon as one bonked her on the snout.

            "Sorry!" came Vipomon's voice from above.

            Daiki picked up a plump red apple, polished it, and was about to bite into it when a voice cried, "No, don't eat those!"

            Everyone on the ground stared as a Floramon emerged from the underbrush, looking very pale.

            "What? Why?" asked Lina.

            "Those are poisonous apples," the Floramon explained. "If you eat those, then your mouth and stomach will go numb and you'll feel like worms are eating at you. I had a friend who died because he ate those apples."

            The Tamers weren't sure whether it was the Floramon's look or the urgency in her voice, but they dropped their apples immediately and stepped back.

            Vipomon suddenly flew down to the ground. He noticed no one was eating. "Hey, what's wrong?" He turned and noticed Floramon. "Huh? What're you doing here?"

            "I was talking my daily walk through the forest when I heard shouting. I came to investigate, and that black-haired human was about it bite into one of these poisonous apples!"

            Vipomon visibly wilted. His color paled and his wings drooped. "Did you say…they were…_poisonous_!!!?"

            "Yes…" Floramon gasped. "No! You didn't eat one, did you!?"

            "Uhn…"

            Riki rushed forward and knelt beside his partner. "Vipomon! Vipomon, say you didn't!"

            "I feel queasy…"

            Floramon was quick to issue orders. "You there—the Sytamon. Carry Vipomon on your back to my hut, because he won't be able to walk with that numb feeling. I have an antidote in my house, so everyone must hurry before he gets really sick!"

            Everyone obliged, and they ran through the forest, following Floramon until they reached a quaint little sod house by a babbling stream. Floramon ushered everyone inside and searched her cupboards frantically. She pulled out a small glass bottle and popped the lid open. She then poured it into a bowl of fruit sauce, and she and Riki helped Vipomon to eat it.

            "The fruit sauce will give the antidote a taste so he won't feel like spitting it out," Floramon explained.

            "Like how Mom puts my vitamins in my applesauce?" Josh asked Mikara.

            "Something like that, I guess," his sister replied, hugging Nekomon.

            Vipomon was put on a moss-bed, and he soon dozed off. Floramon assured everyone that the antidote makes one sleepy, and Vipomon's shock helped lull him to sleep.

            "Let him rest," said the Floramon. "Meanwhile, I made some fruitcake earlier. Would you all like a slice?"

            There was a chorus of 'yeah's, and after Floramon neatly cut and distributed the cake, the Tamers and their Digimon attacked their snack like no tomorrow. They were too busy eating and talking amongst themselves that no one noticed Floramon hadn't touch her slice. Nor did they notice the devious light in her eyes.

            Before long, everyone fell asleep. Floramon sat at her table, unmoving, until she was certain they were all unconscious. She carefully picked her way to the back of her house. She twisted the top half of an egg-shaped bookend, and the books all shimmered and disappeared. In their place was a small holo-screen that was the same length and width of the bookshelf.

            Floramon tapped a few buttons on the holo-screen's side panel, and an image of a young girl appeared. "Yes, what is it?" said the human irritably.

            "They're all unconscious, Mistress," the Floramon informed her. "Apparently, they believed the poisonous apples story, and one of them was foolish enough to 'eat' one." Floramon laughed maniacally. "What fools they are, Mistress! They were ready and willing to eat my fruitcake, even!"

            The human on the holo-screen showed no sign of emotion except for slightly narrowed eyes. "You are also foolish if you underestimate them."

            Floramon's laughter immediately subsided, and she bowed apologetically. "I am sorry, Mistress. At least let me make up for my wrong thinking by being there when Sandiramon eats them."

            The Mistress stared at the Floramon for a moment before nodding once. "So be it. Make sure they die screaming." The screen turned black, and the holographic books shimmered and hid the screen.

            Floramon bowed again, a crafty smile on her face. "As you wish, Mistress."

*          *          *

            David groaned. He had a long, dreamless sleep after eating Floramon's delicious fruitcake, and he was just waking up. But his head was throbbing, and he felt dizzy. Slowly, he opened his eyes, but quickly shut them again.

            "I must be hallucinating," he muttered.

            "No, you're not," came Jessie's voice from nearby. "Open your eyes, dumbass."

            David opened his eyes again, and he did all he could to stop from screaming. He stared frightfully at Jessie, who hung upside-down between him and an unconscious Terriermon. The girl looked surprisingly calm despite their predicament.

            "Why are you so composed?" asked David.

            "Because this isn't what it seems to be."

            "What? How!?"

            "Well, the Sandiramon would've attacked already," came Josh's voice from his other side.

            David turned his head to see that everyone else but Terriermon, Gabumon, Vipomon, and Riki were already awake. They were all hanging upside-down from a tree above a deep pit with a huge Sandiramon in it.

            "How long have we been suspended here?" asked David.

            "Long enough," Lina grumbled. "I'm all dizzy and my limbs are numb."

            Riki was next to wake up. He screamed. "HOLY SHIT!"

            The scream woke those who were still asleep like a bolt of lightning. They stared wide-eyed at the huge snake below them.

            "AHHHHHHH!!!" screeched Terriermon. "I HATE SNAKES!!!"

            "Calm down, buddy," Jessie told her Digimon. "It's an illusion."

            "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!!!? I LOOKS REAL ENOUGH TO ME!"

            Jessie glared at Terriermon. "Can't you see? You'd be dead by now if it wasn't an illusion!"

            Then a voice: "How do you know it's just awaiting orders?"

            Everyone stared as the Floramon from earlier emerged from the bushes, an evil grin plastered on her colorful face. She skipped towards the edge of Sandiramon's pit and looked down. "Why, he's hungry! Are you hungry, Sandiramon? I have food for you!"

            The white-and-gold snake hissed loudly, staring hungrily at the Tamers and their Digimon.

            "You!" Daiki grated, eyes widening. "You put sleeping potion in our food and in Vipomon's fruit sauce! You did that to hang us here and watch us pee in our pants! You…you…bitch!"

            Riki shot a glare at his brother. "What did I tell you about that language!?"

            Daiki said nothing.

            Floramon ignored Daiki's insult. She turned to Sandiramon. "You're hungry. Then eat them, or you'll die."

            The Sandiramon knew what she was talking about even though the Tamers and their Digimon did not. The huge serpentine Digimon reared up to its full height, hissing and eyeing its victims.

            Everyone but Jessie stared at it in fright. The girl took a deep breath and yelled, "IT'S AN ILLUSION!!!"

            Then everything went black. The Tamers fell from whatever they were hanging from and landed softly on black nothingness. There was no Sandiramon, no Floramon…no _jungle_. But there was an odd monotonous clapping that seemed to come from directly in front of them.

            "Who's there?" Compass called out. "Show yourself!"

            Out of the gloom, the dragon-ish Digimon from the hologram appeared. Tetramon snarled and was about to attack when he put up his gloved hands. "Just try to attack me," said the Digimon, his voice like ice. "You'll regret it."

            Tetramon snarled some more, but he sat beside Daiki like an obedient dog, ears twitching.

            Riku stepped forward. "Who are you, and what do you want?" she demanded.

            "I merely want to congratulate you for getting this far." He looked right at Jessie. "You saw through the hologram at the blackness underneath it." Jessie nodded slowly, and the Digimon turned back to the others. "It was all an illusion—the Digimon, the trees, the sky…the food…"

            Mikara sighed. "No wonder I'm still hungry."

            The blackness shimmered and became a large clearing in a forest with the ruins of a castle at its center. The dragon-like Digimon continued, "So, Tamers, if you'll follow me, I'll bring you to your destination." He turned and walked towards the ruins.

            "You never answered our first question," said Morglormon. "_Who are you?_"

            The Digimon stopped and turned his head so he could see the group out of the corner of his eye. "She calls me Strikemon."

*          *          *

_Author's Note_: Only five more chapters to go! *sniff* I'm going to miss writing this…


	26. The Dragon Champion

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Dragon Champion

            Strikemon led the Tamers through the dark, shadowy hallways of the ruins. No one dared to speak, for the evil was so thick in the air that if they hadn't known any better, they would've found it hard to breathe. They passed through the courtyard, where at least two-dozen DarkWolfmon were gnawing on bones, defending their patch of ground, or fighting over scraps of food. Strikemon had to break up one of the rougher fights by blasting a hole in the ground between the two snarling Digimon. They stopped immediately.

            Strikemon brought them to the very heart of the ruins. He stopped at two huge oaken doors guarded by two LadyDevimon decked out in metal.

            "If I didn't know any better," Riley whispered to Mikara, "I'd say these two are scarier than the ordinary LadyDevimon. What are they?"

            Mikara shrugged. "Don't know. Jessie? What are they?"

            Jessie also shrugged. "Never seen them before. I've heard of 'MechaLadyDevimon', though, and they're Megas, so I'm guessing these bitches are—"

            But before she could finish, one of the metal LadyDevimon grabbed her ear and growled, "You dare insult an Elite Guard!?"

            "Ow! Leggo my ear! Terriermon!"

            The little rabbit clambered up and bit down on the MechaLadyDevimon's hand. The guard screamed and let go, but she whacked Terriermon senseless with her electric rod.

            "Terriermon!" Jessie cried, hugging her Digimon. She glared at the devil lady and was about to attack her when Strikemon intervened. He knocked the rod from MechaLadyDevimon's hands, caught it, and jammed its electric end in her throat, and pointed his revolver at Jessie's forehead in the same fluid movement.

            "One move and I'll kill both of you," he said, a dangerous look in his blood red eyes. After a moment, he said, "Step back. _Now_."

            The MechaLadyDevimon stepped back immediately, pale with fright. Jessie took a moment to wonder if she could somehow fight back, but wisely decided against it and stepped back with her fellow Tamers.

            Strikemon rigidly held both weapons, even as the Tamers and their Digimon filed into the room beyond the oaken doors. He threw the rod back at the cowering MechaLadyDevimon, who clumsily caught it, and entered the room. The other MechaLadyDevimon closed the doors, then turned to her partner.

            "I told you not to bother the Mistress' guests," she said, helping her friend to her feet.

            Meanwhile, inside the room, Strikemon suppressed a smile as the Tamers bunched together, staying away from the walls and corners. He strode dutifully towards the center of the room and bowed to the back wall. "I've brought them."

            The Tamers were surprised to hear a young, human voice. "Very good."

            "What do you want me to do about them?"

            "I don't want you to do anything about them. I want you to stand back and be there when I need you."

            "Yes, of course…" He stepped aside and glared at the Tamers. "Bow to my Mistress!"

            Lina shook her head. "No way! We're not bowing to anybody!"

            "You'll regret that—"

            Then the Mistress' voice: "Stop."

            Everyone stared at the thirteen-year-old girl standing at the bottom of the steps, clad in black except for the orange D-force at her belt. Her eyes were as hard as flint as she watched her adversaries unemotionally.

            "Who…?" Riki murmured. _She's cute…_

            "Are you…?" began Sytamon, but the words didn't come.

            "Yes," the girl replied. "My name is Naki Sagano. I am the evil you seek, the ruler of this island and its waters, ever since WaruSeadramon was…disposed of." She grinned wickedly.

            "You killed WaruSeadramon?" asked Wormmon incredulously.

            "No. _He_ did." She gestured to Strikemon.

            "You've got to be joking," Riku scoffed. "WaruSeadramon was an Ultimate. I believe your Digimon's a Rookie."

            "He is. But he's stronger than any Mega. I'm sure you experienced a little run-in with a rather nasty Mega-level MechaLadyDevimon just before you entered?"

            "Yes…"

            Naki's eyes narrowed. "Why do you think they fear him?"

            Riku glared at the girl Naki. After a minute of thought, she said, "Then I challenge you. I don't believe your Digimon's as strong as you claim he is. I'll fight you in Rookie form."

            "As will I," Compass chimed in.

            "Me too," Daiki piped up. "And you too, right, Riki?"

            "Uh…huh?" his brother asked stupidly.

            "Hey! You're here to help us stop her, not to stare at her!"

            Riki went red. "I was not!"

            Daiki rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're going to fight! Now, Tetramon!"

            The fox-like Digimon and his three companions stepped forward, snarling.

            Naki whispered something in Strikemon's ear, and the dragon Digimon nodded once. He stepped up to meet his four opponents. "Well," he said. "Hit me when you're ready."

            Tetramon ran four paces and leaped into the air, fangs bared. But he was suddenly thrown to the ground at Daiki's feet as Strikemon whirled around and thwacked him with his tail. Tetramon was knocked unconscious by the impact.

            "Ivy Vine!" Petalmon cried, ropes of ivy flying from her hands and wrapped around Strikemon.

            "That's it!" Riku yelled. "Ensnare him!"

            Vipomon didn't wait for Riki to tell him what to do; the boy was too busy zoning out. Vipomon opened his mouth and yelled, "Fireball!"

            Strikemon suddenly ducked, and the fireball missed him by a hairsbreadth. He jerked himself upright and started backing off. Petalmon's footing slipped, and she tripped.

            "Mega Strike!" Strikemon roared, suddenly glowing a brilliant blue. As Petalmon fell, a blue light surrounded her and the vines, and she was catapulted towards Vipomon by a sudden, invisible force. The two tumbled head-over-heels to the far wall.

            "My turn!" said Morglormon. "Fungus Crusher!" A jet of green mist flew from Morglormon's hands towards Strikemon, but another Mega Strike stopped it and threw it back to the Digimon who cast it. Morglormon was hit by his own attack.

            "That's impossible!" cried David. "That Digimon is psychic!" His expression hardened. "Digi Modify! Digivolution…activate!"

            "Wormmon digivolve to…Stingmon!"

            Lina and Riley's Digimon also digivolved.

            "Now let's see you fight us as a Champion," said Garurumon.

            Naki held out her hand, and blue-white energy coalesced into a card in midair. She took the card. "Digi Modify! Digivolution…activate!"

            Strikemon glowed as he roared, "Strikemon digivolve to…Ryuuzamon!"

            Ryuuzamon was a long serpentine dragon, red in color with golden spikes down his spine. The leather of his wings was also golden. He had no limbs whatsoever, so he looked more like a huge winged snake than a dragon.

            The battle continued.

            "Howling Blaster!"

            "Striking Spike!"

            "Glass Shard!"

            Their opponent let out a pillar of fire. "Ryuuza Fire!"

            The attacks caused an explosion to rock the ruins. The Tamers shielded their eyes from the light, but Naki, on the other side of the room, stood as if nothing was happening. When the light faded, she yelled, "Do it, Ryuuzamon! Attack!"

            A ring of fire surrounded Ryuuzamon's coiled form, burning hotter than the desert at midday. "Ring of Flames!" roared the red-and-gold Digimon, and the ring of fire flew outwards, ever in its endless circle. Garurumon, Kelaramon, and Stingmon had nowhere to go, big as they were, and had to take the hit. Upon impact, the flames leaped up their exposed bodies and blackened them. The Tamers ran to escape the flames, which didn't die out.

            "I don't believe it!" grated Daiki, still hugging Tetramon. "Our Digimon are being roasted worse than marshmallows at camp!"

            Jessie pushed to the front. "Then let's get him as Ultimates! I bet he's tired; beat him up, Terriermon!"

            The two remaining Digimon joined Terriermon in the fray as their Tamers slashed the Blue cards.

            "Terriermon digivolve to…Gargomon! Gargomon Matrix digivolve to…Rapidmon!"

            "Nekomon digivolve to…Renokomon! Renokomon Matrix digivolve to…Nabikimon!"

            "Patamon digivolve to…Angemon! Angemon Matrix digivolve to…MagnaAngemon!"

            A slight smile played on Naki's lips. "How interesting. The plot thickens…" Her smile widened. "What a foolish play you made in my game. Okay, I'll play too. Ryuuzamon?" Her own Blue card flew through her orange D-force and disappeared in a flash of blue-white light.

            "Ryuuzamon Matrix digivolve to…Firagamon!" Firagamon was about the height of Strikemon. However, he sported blood red armor edged with silver, and he held a huge two-handed sword, the blade tinted orange and red like firelight. His helmet had razor-sharp red-and-silver spikes protruding from the sides. Spreading his bat-like wings menacingly, he adopted a swordsman's ready stance.

            "I can take him!" Rapidmon said confidently. He held out his 'hands'. "Rapid Fire!"

            Faster than the eye could blink, Firagamon jumped. He dodged the missiles with ease, landed smack-dab in front of Rapidmon, and impaled his sword through the armored rabbit's left arm. He jumped back quickly as Rapidmon screeched and dedigivolved into an agonized Terriermon.

            MagnaAngemon flew at Firagamon and swung his bladed arm. The armored dragon blocked the blow with his sword. For a second, the two stood nose-to-nose at each other, glowering determinedly. But the two jumped back and faced each other again at a safe distance.

            Firagamon held up his left hand, the sword in his right pointed down. His upraised hand glowed fiercely—"Mega Firestorm!"—and a shower of flaming meteors peppered MagnaAngemon. Several burned holes in his feathered wings, and the pain caused him to dedigivolved.

            "No! MagnaAngemon!" Josh wailed.

            "Nabikimon!" Mikara yelled. "Your turn!"

            Nabikimon leaped at Firagamon, fangs and claws bared. The dragon-like Digimon glanced coolly at her, pointed his sword straight at her heart, and then roared, "Firaga Magic!"

            The sword blade glowed a brilliant orange-yellow, and the same light surrounded Nabikimon. She was sent ears-over-tail _through_ the ruins wall and into broad daylight outside. There, she dedigivolved.

            Riki suddenly snapped from his trance, and after a second of orientation, his mouth hung open. "We were…defeated?"

            Naki crossed her arms over her chest, a look of mock disappointment on her face. "Aww, the game's over!" Her wicked grin returned. "But I won, so I'm satisfied." Her expression abruptly hardened, and black cables tied the Tamers' hands behind their backs. Their Digimon were ensnared with the same black cables. "MechaLadyDevimon!"

            The two guards from before scrambled inside and saluted. "Mistress!" they cried in unison.

            "Take these pathetic excuses away. Lock them up where they can't escape."

            "Yes ma'am!" They hauled the Tamers and their Digimon out of the room.

            Firagamon dedigivolved into Strikemon, breathing lightly. "That was a refreshing exercise," he said to Naki, almost in a playful tone. "When will I expect to fight them again?"

            "When I'm ready to let them out," came her reply. "I'm glad you didn't accidentally kill any of them. If you did, I would've slain you."

            He nudged the small of her back with his tail. "No, you wouldn't. I'm too valuable."

            Naki turned to look at him. She gave him one of her rare smiles. "Hmph. Insolent young rip."

*          *          *

_Author's Note_: *gasp* Could Riki like Naki? Heh, sorry if this wasn't what you wanted, Rsrskyport, but it's necessary.


	27. Secrets of the Past

_Author's Note_: Before we begin, let me ask you this—please email me a brief summary of what your character will be doing/will be like in, say…five years. And please EMAIL me, do not put it in your review.

*        *        *

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Secrets of the Past

          Kazu was working furiously on his main computer. It not only contained the 'blueprints' of upcoming video games, but it was also the computer that he and the other parents used to contact their kids. Before his daughter and her friends went to Chikyuu to investigate the new evil, David had sent him a copy of a stone tablet found outside the village. He was busy deciphering it while it was still the lunch break.

          There was a knock on his office door.

          "Come in," Kazu called out.

          Takato walked in, hands in his pockets. "How's it going, Kazu?"

          "It's almost done. I've created the Digicode translating program, and I just gotta input the copy into the program, and…there! Soon, we'll see the Japanese version."

          There was a moment of silence except for the humming of the computer. Then the computer beeped and a small portion of text appeared, which read:

While she still reigns the lands known to all,

He will not eat, drink, move, or sleep.

Until then, he shall remain in the darkness of the deep.

But when she falls, he will awaken…

And then plants shall wither and die,

And streams will become bare and dry.

And birds will no longer sing their sweet song,

And darkness will fill the vast sky.

Beware the monster called Death…

          Frowning, Takato turned to Kazu. "What's that mean?"

          "I don't know. I'm guessing 'the monster called Death' is the last evil, but I don't know when that will be. He must be a really powerful Digimon if he can make plants wither and streams run dry, and fill the sky with darkness."

          "Kinda reminds you of what they taught us in school about Jewish history, huh, Kazu?"

          "Nah, I wasn't paying attention."

          "Well, anyway, I've got a question about this thing… Who's 'she'?"

          Kazu shrugged. "No clue."

          "Damn…"

          Kazu grinned. "Yeah, I know." His grin faded immediately. "You know, I hope the kids are okay."

          Takato nodded in agreement. "Yeah. But don't you worry. Lina's a great leader, and David's a great scientist. And Marisol's sense of direction won't fail them. And I'm sure the other kids have their talents, too."

          "But I can't help but be worried about them, you know? This monster called Death sure sounds like he can kick serious ass."

          "Let's hope our kids can pull through, then."

          "Yep… So…how's your movie coming along?"

          "It's doing well."

*        *        *

          A day later…

          Compass banged against the metal bars of the prison. "Let us out! We want a rematch! Let us out NOW!"

          A MechaLadyDevimon snarled at her from the other side of the bars. "Be quiet, you wench! The Mistress approaches!"

          Before long, the thirteen-year-old girl Naki was standing before the sullen group of Tamers. They all glared at her from the darkness of the cell.

          "Whaddya want?" demanded Daiki as he stood up, fists clenched.

          Riki pulled his brother down. "Daiki, that's no way to talk to a—"

          Daiki glared at his brother. "If you're gonna 'that's no way to talk to a lady', then you're insane. Hello-o! We're in jail, for cryin' out loud!"

          "I'm sure there's a reason for…"

          Ignoring the brothers' argument, Naki opened the cell door and stepped inside, Strikemon right behind her. She walked up to Lina and looked her up and down. "You'll do."

          "I'll do what?" the goggle-headed eleven-year-old snapped.

          "You'll do _fine_." She reached forward to grab Lina when the brown-haired girl reflexively slapped her face.

          "Don't touch me, you creep!"

          But the moment the words escaped her lips, she regretted them. She was thrown against the far wall, and when she had oriented herself, she found herself staring at the barrel of Strikemon's revolver. The dragon Digimon was snarling menacingly, his entire body rigid and quivering with rage.

          There was a moment of silence. No one dared move, not even Naki, who was staring at Lina like she had seen a ghost.

          And then the memories invaded her mind.

_          Five-year-old Naki facing her father's girlfriend, quivering with rage at the abusive woman…_

_          A hand being raised…coming down…a stinging pain in her cheek…_

_          "Don't touch me, you creep!"_

_          Naki crying, running out the house and down Card Alley…_

_          Stumbling, falling, crying harder than she ever had…_

_          A glow in the darkness, blue and white and orange…a strange power flowing through her…_

_          A D-force, small and insignificant, like her, but containing much power…_

_          Sudden warmth…being embraced by a big, friendly being…finding safety…_

_          Strikemon…_

          Everyone abruptly turned to see the evil they were supposed to be afraid of shiver, as if cold. A tear trickled down Naki's cheek, then another, and she was soon sobbing. Everyone was frozen for a moment as the thirteen-year-old fell on her knees and cried.

          Everyone but Strikemon.

          The Digimon holstered his weapon and was at his Tamer's side in a flash. He had experienced this before, and many times when Naki was still only a little girl. He took her trembling form and hugged her close.

          Lost in her memories of childhood, Naki wasn't at all surprised by the sudden warmth that enveloped her, something she remembered feeling when she was younger. The crying became snivels, which became silence, as she drifted off to a troubled slumber, still lost in her memories…

*        *        *

          Half an hour later, Naki slowly woke up. She was sitting with her back against the cell wall, still trembling. She had lost that fiery look in her eyes from before, and she looked distant…

          "What happened?" she whispered hoarsely.

          Riki jumped forward. "Are you okay? Please say you're okay—"

          "What happened?"

          Lina, who stood nearby, replied, "You started to cry, and when Strikemon tried to calm you, you fell asleep."

          Naki didn't hear what Lina said. She just saw her and backed away, eyes wide with fear. "Stay away from me! Strikemon!"

          Her Digimon, who was kneeling beside her, put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's okay. I'm right here," he said quietly, almost in a soothing tone.

          "I want to go home," Naki whimpered. "I wanna go back to my daddy…to my momma…"

          Strikemon shook his head. "I'm sorry. You can't."

          "I wanna go home to my daddy, to my momma!"

          "Naki…" He looked at her with a pained expression. "They're dead."

          Her sudden anger vanished, and she looked at the ground miserably. "I know… Momma's gone…" But as quickly as her anger disappeared, it returned. "And that bitch killed Daddy! She killed him! She killed him!" Tears started to well up in her eyes again. "And I'm gonna kill her! She'll pay for killing my father!"

          "She's dead too—"

          "She's still there! She's still there, inside, still beating me! I want her dead!" Naki grabbed Strikemon's gun, trying to wrench it free from its holster, but it was buckled down tight.

          Strikemon's grip on his Tamer tightened, and with his free hand, he grabbed her arm roughly. "I won't let you! You're not going to kill yourself over some goddamned memory, okay!? Get over it!"

          Naki suddenly stopped and fell limp. She had that distant look again. "I'm sorry…"

          Her Digimon relaxed. He knew she was done with the sudden emotional rage, and hugged her reassuringly. "Get over it," he murmured. "You have a new family now."

          Meanwhile, the Tamers were having a whispered conversation at the other end of the cell.

          "Apparently, the reason she became so corrupted was because her mother died and some woman abused her and killed her father," David stated, pushing his glasses up his nose.

          Terriermon shook his head. "Poor girl. No wonder she's so cold! The only one she can depend on now is her Digimon, and that's why she's built those walls of ice around her. Poor, poor girl…"

          "Imagine—a cute girl like her, abused and beaten!" added Riki. "It's enough to—"

          Compass pulled Riki's ear. "Quit it!" she snapped.

          Josh piped up. "I think we've finally defeated Chikyuu's evil."

          Everyone thought this over in complete silence for a moment. Then Nekomon nodded. "I agree. I think we were supposed to help free her from her past."

          Everyone then agreed that they really had defeated the evil inside Naki. But they'd have to confirm it from Strikemon, or from Naki herself.

*        *        *

          Somewhere far off in the horizon, a slumbering giant stirred. Suddenly, sinister golden eyes popped open, and the giant shifted and stood. Spreading massive black wings and grabbing a scythe-like weapon, it launched itself from the depths of the Digital World and flew towards the tiny island of Chikyuu. Plants wilted, riverbeds dried up, and the sky turned black in its wake.

          And in its mind, a single thought echoed endlessly.

          _Kill the Tamers_.

*        *        *

_Author's Note_: So now we know Naki's past and why she ended up in the Digital World! Poor girl… And if you haven't noticed, Strikemon's really protective of his Tamer, far more than he should be… *cough*cough*hint*hint* If you understand what I'm talking about and don't like the idea of a Digimon/human relationship…TOO BAD. *laughs maniacally* Sorry. I'm that kinda person. Gomen, gomen…


	28. The Beginning of the End

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Beginning of the End

                Rika arrived home at exactly five o'clock, glad that the day was finally over. She put her books down on the coffee table in the living room, took off her light jacket, and hung it on the rack. She entered the dining room/kitchen, where she knew her husband would be sitting and meditating, when she suddenly stopped at the doorway. Henry sat there, sipping a cup of tea. Gobbling up a plate of rice cakes was Terriermon, and sitting calmly at the other side of the table was…

                "Renamon?"

                The three occupants turned to face Rika. Henry smiled. "Hey, Rika. We have some guests."

                "Henry… How did they… What's happened to our children?"

                The smile on Henry's face faded. "Their last enemy is coming for them, but they won't be able to win unless the Tamers gather in Chikyuu's ruins to confront him."

                "But…aren't they already there?"

                "I said the Tamers. That means _all_ of us."

                Rika could hardly believe what she was telling him. "You mean…we're actually going back…and fighting again?"

                Terriermon stopped eating long enough to comment, "'Course! That's why we're here—to tell ya!"

                "The others—including Ai and Mako—are being visited by their Digimon as well," Renamon added. "Rika, your children need all the help they can get. Are you willing to go?"

                Rika's face broke into a smile. "Are you kidding? Do you know what I would give to be with my old friends as a team again? I would give _anything_ to do that again! Renamon, when do we leave?"

                "When we're ready, Rika. When we're ready."

*              *              *

                There was a violent quaking from deep within the Digital World, as if the entire world was splitting apart. The Tamers and the Digimon grabbed hold of anything firmly in the ground, bracing themselves for whatever was coming.

                Then all went still.

                "What happened?" Patamon whispered nervously.

                Jessie shrugged. "I dunno, but—"

                A long, loud howl echoed throughout the ruins. A DarkWolfmon.

                Naki was up on her feet in a flash. She turned to the two MechaLadyDevimon jail guards. "You, with the silver spear. Scout ahead and see what's wrong. Meet us at the eastern rooftop." The first devil lady saluted and ran off. "And you—gather all the Digimon. When you're done, head for the courtyard." The other devil lady also saluted and fled.

                "What's going on?" Gabumon wondered.

                Naki's eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched tight. "He's here."

                "Who?" Lina wanted to know.

                "Deathmon. Legend prophesized that when I fall, he will awaken and make the world his kingdom, enshrouding the Digital World with blackness and death. All who oppose him will die, slowly and painfully." She closed her eyes. "So now I admit my defeat."

                Then a sudden, defiant voice: "No."

                Naki—and everyone else—turned to look at Strikemon.

                "No," he repeated. "You can't just lay down and die, or lay down and admit defeat. You have gotten over your past, and your bitterness is gone. You're still fighting, though, but with a different goal. I knew this would happen some day. Why do you think I've been so loyal to you?"

                Naki lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry I put you in so much trouble."

                "Trouble? I don't think so! Seeing you as your old self again is worth it, Naki."

                "Yeah!" agreed a certain fourteen-year-old brown-haired boy.

                Compass pulled his ear again. "Shaddap! Can't you see it's a sentimental moment between Naki and her Digimon?"

                Smiling, Naki said, "…How long has it been since I heard that name spoken by someone other than myself? Oh, forget it." She turned to the other Tamers. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused for _you_. I would stand and fight by your side now, against Deathmon, if you will accept me as part of your team."

                The Tamers looked at each other for a moment and silently decided without words. Then Lina stepped towards Naki and held out her hand. "We accept you, Naki Sagano, as the eleventh Digimon Tamer."

                Naki gripped Lina's hand. "Thank you."

                A perilous grin crept upon Lina's face. "Ready to kick some ass?"

                Grinning as well, Naki nodded just once. "Anytime!"

*              *              *

                The Tamers and their Digimon waited on a part of the roof on the eastern edge of the courtyard. They were silent as they watched Deathmon roar and screech and slash at the air with his immense scythe.

                "How're we gonna beat that thing?" Mikara inquired.

                "We burn him, then slash him, then pound him to bits!" exclaimed a giddy Tetramon.

                Daiki blinked at his partner. "Maybe you should take some Ritalin."

                Compass was edgy. "Aww, come on! I agree with Tetramon—let's show him our stuff!"

                Wormmon frowned. "But how do we know we'll win?"

                "Don't be such a doubter! We'll win!"

                Lina stood up. "Compass is right! We can win! Let's go!"

                So eleven voices cried out: "DIGI MODIFY!!!"

                "Wormmon digivolve to…Stingmon! Stingmon Matrix digivolve to…DinoBeemon!"

                "Sytamon digivolve to…Kelaramon! Kelaramon Matrix digivolve to…Canidimon!"

                "Vipomon digivolve to…Dragymon! Dragymon Matrix digivolve to…Drakomon!"

                "Tetramon digivolve to…Chagremon! Chagremon Matrix digivolve to…Rukliemon!"

                "Morglormon digivolve to…Woodmon! Woodmon Matrix digivolve to…Cherrymon!"

                "Gabumon digivolve to…Garurumon! Garurumon Matrix digivolve to…WereGarurumon!"

                "Nekomon digivolve to…Renokomon! Renokomon Matrix digivolve to…Nabikimon!"

                "Patamon digivolve to…Angemon! Angemon Matrix digivolve to…MagnaAngemon!"

                "Petalmon digivolve to…Venumon! Venumon Matrix digivolve to…Botanimon!"

                "Terriermon digivolve to…Gargomon! Gargomon Matrix digivolve to…Rapidmon!"

                "Strikemon digivolve to…Ryuuzamon! Ryuuzamon Matrix digivolve to…Firagamon!"

                The eleven Ultimate-level Digimon flew or jumped down to the courtyard. They surrounded the huge cloaked figure of Deathmon, who stared at them like they were small, irrelevant flies. Even Canidimon and Drakomon, who were almost as big as he was, received disdainful looks.

                Rukliemon snarled, and his cannons locked onto Deathmon. "Double Cannons!"

                The attack did nothing, except maybe make the towering Digmon blink its menacing golden eyes.

                "What!?" the enraged wolf cried out.

                "Hit him all at once!" suggested Canidimon.

                And so they did. When the cloud of smoke and dust cleared, Deathmon still stood rooted to the spot in the courtyard, with only a few tears on his cloak. Then Deathmon lifted his scythe and brought it slashing downwards. Black energy flew from the scythe at the Digimon. "Scythe of Destruction!"

                The black energy hit the Digimon and filled them with an electric charge that had more power than one hundred two-hundred-volt light bulbs. The Digimon screamed in agony, unable to fight the power, and they dedigivolved and fell to the ground, battered and bruised.

                "Aw, dammit," Terriermon muttered, spitting blood. "He's worse than Satanmon was…"

                Then a new voice cried out: "Not unless you can believe in yourselves!"

                There was a brilliant flash of light at the entrance of the courtyard. The Tamers and the Digimon turned to see Takato and Guilmon, Jeri, Henry and Terriermon, Rika and Renamon, Kazu and Guardromon, Kenta and MarineAngemon, Suzie and Lopmon, Ryo and Monodramon, and Ai and Mako and Impmon.

                "Mom!? Dad!?" Lina and David cried out in unison.

                "What're you doing here, Daddy?" asked Compass.

                "Mom? What's going on?" Mikara wanted to know.

                "We're all here to help you," Ryo told them on behalf of all the parents. "We'll show you how to _really_ fight. You ready, guys?" he asked his old team. They nodded in unison. "Right!"

                And they yelled together: "Biomerge digivolution!"

                "Guilmon biomerge to…Gallantmon, crimson mode!"

                "Terriermon biomerge to…MegaGargomon!"

                "Renamon biomerge to…Sakuyamon!"

                "Monodramon biomerge to…Justimon!"

                "Guardromon biomerge to…HiAndromon!"

                "Lopmon biomerge to…Kerpymon!"

                Ai and Mako held their D-arc between them and cried out: "Warp digivolve!"

                "Impmon Warp digivolve to…Beelzemon, blaster mode!"

                Eyes wide with wonder, the other eleven Tamers stared at the Digimon—and their parents. Riley was the first of them to speak.

                "Unbelievable… _Megas_…"

*              *              *

_Author's Note_: THE FINAL SHOWDOWN!!! YES!!! But that means there are only two more chapters… *sniffs* I'm gonna miss writing this! A note: the main reason I chose Warp digivolution for Beelzemon (and for some later on) is because it would be a little disturbing to have a girl Tamer in a male Digimon's body, or vice versa if there is any. Also, Ai and Mako are both Impmon's Tamers, and it would be hard to have both in Beelzemon's body. And as you already know from watching the TV show, Beelzemon does NOT digivolve by biomerging. Also: to those who are the creators of Vipomon and Nekomon (you know who you are), I've changed the Mega-level forms for your Digimon (mainly because I lost those stupid files *bangs head against computer*). If you do NOT want me to change them, tell me in your review PLEASE.


	29. Fighting as Family

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Fighting as Family

            Roaring as one, Takato and Gallantmon charged at Deathmon. "Lightning Joust!"

            Deathmon took the blow well, but it was not enough. He staggered backwards and grunted.

            "Now we're getting somewhere," said MegaGargomon.

            "Right," agreed Henry. "Ready? Mega Barrage!" The missiles struck Deathmon and pushed him against the eastern courtyard edge. Chunks of rock and dried tar came tumbling down, disturbing the dust and dirt. The new Tamers were saved from being crushed by Sakuyamon's Talisman Sphere. They were deposited safely onto the ground.

            "Some of you will have to biomerge, and the rest…I'm really not sure." Rika told the second generation. "But do it, and now!"

            "But our Digimon were flattened, Momma!" Daiki replied.

            "Not anymore," Sakuyamon stated simply. She glowed, and so did the fallen Rookie Digimon. When the light faded, they were up on their feet and ready to do battle once more.

            Lina held up her D-force. "All right, Tamers! Let's win this one! Biomerge digivolution!"

            "Sytamon biomerge to…Risutomon!" A female version of Gallantmon, Risutomon had gleaming white armor and a flowing light purple cape. She had a round purple, white, and black shield strapped to her left arm, and in her right was a long sword, its hilt a brilliant gold.

            "Vipomon biomerge to…Ryumon!" The dragon knight roared, armor gleaming in the available light. He wielded a sword in his right hand, and strapped to his left arm was a shield like Gallantmon's that was engraved with the Crest of Wisdom.

            "Nekomon biomerge to…Toramon!" Toramon was a huge tiger-like Digimon, snow white save for the jagged black stripes. Her wings, feathered and glowing faintly, were the same stark white as her fur. Her entire form held a sense of power that could not be put into words.

            "Wormmon biomerge to…GranBeemon!" The huge insectoid Digimon, his exoskeleton various shades of gray, stood on his hind legs and let loose an ear-splitting screech, his wings buzzing madly.

            "Tetramon biomerge to…Faquanemon!" The large wolf warrior stood upright, his sword in both hands and a shield across his back. Armor gleamed in the sunlight. Red and black paint was daubed on his face, accentuating his keen amber eyes.

            "Petalmon biomerge to…Sotanimon!" Sotanimon was a dryad, a forest fairy, clothed in a simple dark green tunic and skirt and bedecked in flowers. Her iridescent wings fluttered, keeping her aloft. In her hand was a silver staff with young, strong vines wrapped around it.

            "Patamon biomerge to…Seraphimon!" The armored angel-knight hovered in midair, his wings folded around him. Encased in a piercing light, he floated above the others, regal and proud and angelic.

            Riley, Jessie, Naki, and Compass couldn't biomerge, though, so instead their D-forces and pendants glowed like wild fire as they yelled, "Warp digivolve!"

            "Terriermon Warp digivolve to…MegaGargomon!" The younger MegaGargomon stood with the elder one, and the two seemed identical in all aspects—in determination, in strength, and in courage.

            "Strikemon Warp digivolve to…Gaiadramon!" Instead of increasing his size like the others, Strikemon increased the power of his weapons. Gaiadramon was decked in military-style armor, and in both hands, he wielded a camo-colored semi-automatic. His wings stretched out behind him threateningly.

            "Morglormon Warp digivolve to…Puppetmon!" Cackling insanely, the wooden puppet hung upside-down in midair, clutching the metal hammer that was his primary source of destruction. His grin was mischievous and wicked, and showed he was ready for battle.

            "Gabumon Warp digivolve to…MetalGarurumon!" Snarling and howling, the armored wolf spread his legs wide as if to brace himself for an attack. He stood at the head of the small army with Risutomon and Toramon, fangs bared.

            And then Deathmon spoke, and his voice was like thunder.

            "You think you can stop me? Hah, what fools! I could slay all of you with a single blow, and yet you defy me. What is it you hope to accomplish, for evil will always remain in this world even if you defeat me!"

            "You want to know what we hope to accomplish?" Lina said from within Risutomon. "I'll tell ya: your death, and the peace of the Digital World! So we're gonna kick your ass till it's sore, and then we'll blow you away!"

            Deathmon whispered something inaudible. A sudden pain flooded the Digimon, and even though some of the Tamers remained outside their respectable Digimon partners, they still felt the agony.

            "What was that?" asked Justimon.

            "That was Deathmon's second attack: Pain Flow. The louder he says it, the more it hurts," Naki whispered in reply.

            "It won't matter how he utters it," said David. "We'll succeed, or die trying! Right, Dad?"

            Takato grinned. "That's right, son. C'mon! Let's do it!"

            And so the battle commenced, the cries of both Tamers and their Digimon echoing loudly.

            "Mega Barrage!"

            "Gargo Missile!"

            "Talisman Sphere!"

            "Metal Wolf Claw!"

            "Wrath of the Tiger!"

            "Dimension Scissors!"

            "Dramon Blaster!"

            "Nature's Judgment!"

            "Gaia Force!"

            "Puppet Pummel!"

            "Double Impact!"

            "Lightning Spear!"

            "Fang Acid!"

            "Molten Blade!"

            "Atomic Ray!"

            "Ocean Love!"

            "Seraphim Beam!"

            The constant bombardment stopped Deathmon from uttering any of his attacks, and when it finally stopped, Gallantmon and Risutomon stood at the head of the army, their weapons ready.

            But suddenly, Deathmon roared: "PAIN FLOW!!!"

            Screaming in agony, all the Digimon and Tamers fell to their knees on the ground. Deathmon's hidden smile could be felt by all.

            "We can't make it," whimpered Josh.

            "Yes, we can," said Gallantmon. "We just…"

            There was a sudden howl, and dozens upon dozens of DarkWolfmon and MechaLadyDevimon poured from each and every corner of the ruins. They flung themselves at Deathmon, snarling and screaming furiously. Soon the towering monstrosity was covered by a mass of black and gray and platinum.

            "Scythe of Destruction!"

            The writhing mass vanished, every bit of data forming a dense black cloud. The data floated upwards, and it disappeared against the black sky. Deathmon had killed hundreds with a single sweep of his scythe.

            "Holy crap," Riley cried.

            Takato and Gallantmon were quivering with rage. "No! No! NO!!!" they roared. They were about to charge when Beelzemon stopped them.

            "Wait," he said. "If you go and attack him yourself, you'll be sliced to bits too. Distract him first!"

            "How?" snapped Takato.

            "Like this, Dad," Lina suddenly replied. "Ready, Risutomon?"

            "Ready!" her Digimon replied. She pointed her sword at the ground. The blade glowed a brilliant yellow and pierced the soil. A jagged line ran towards Deathmon and passed him from underneath. Then—"Lightstone Abyss!"—the line became a crack, then a chasm filled with glowing golden light. Razor-sharp chunks of glowing rock flew upwards from underneath Deathmon, slicing him. His bloodcurdling shriek could be heard for miles around.

            "Now, Takato!" yelled Jeri, who was standing by the sidelines with the others.

            Gallantmon aimed his shield at the disoriented Deathmon. It glowed bright blue, and suddenly, a pillar of energy shot at the immense black figure. "Shield of the Just!"

            Cloth and flesh alike tore from Deathmon by the force of the attack. Suddenly, it all vanished and joined the black of the sky. But as quickly as the world became dead, it was filled with color and life again. The sky became a soft blue, the trees and plants turned green, and the rivers and lakes were refilled with fresh water.

            The Digimon dedigivolved, some of whom separated from their Tamers. They all collapsed, exhausted from the battle.

            David pushed his glasses up his nose. "Dad?"

            "What is it, son?" asked Takato, who was slouched against Guilmon.

            "Am I still going to present my technology speech at school?"

            "Sure, David."

            Daiki opened one eye. "School?" Both eyes suddenly popped open. "Mom! We've been away for a little less than a month! What're we going to do about school?"

            Rika sighed and shrugged. "I don't know, Daiki."

            "We'll find a good reason," Mako reassured them. "Right now, let's head back home. What I wouldn't do for a plate of sushi…"

            Laughing and joking, the Tamers—past and present—got up and headed for Chikyuu's beach. They had done it. They had defeated the evil.

            And they were going home.

*          *          *

            Sitting in the boughs of a tree, two ghostly figures watched the Tamers head home.

            "There they are, friend," said the taller one. "They're going home."

            "Yes, hm, yes they are," said the shorter, shaggier one. "Point out your family, Chikiyo."

            Chikiyo Neko's spirit picked out her parents and siblings. "They're all mournful over my death, but at the same time, they're happy they won."

            "Yes, yes, hm… What was I going to say?"

            "Jijimon!" Chikiyo cried. "Don't tell me you forgot again?"

            Jijimon laughed. "Yes, I did!"

            On the ground below them, Mikara stopped. She scanned the canopy of trees, for she had heard something from above. Then she smiled as her gaze rested on the spirits of her late sister and Jijimon. Chikiyo waved at her, and Mikara's smile widened.

            _Thank you, Chikiyo_, she thought. And then she was on her way again.

*          *          *

_Author's Note_: Hope you liked it. And… **ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO!!!** But I can't post it until everyone tells me what'll happen in five years! Please email it to me (or no chapter thirty and no sequel, and we wouldn't want that).


	30. Story's End, Saga's Beginning

_Author's Note_: I am incredibly sorry for the long wait. Here it is at last: the final chapter of _Digimon Tamers: Generation 02_. I hope you enjoy it.

*        *        *

Epilogue

Story's End, Saga's Beginning

_Lina Matsuki's essay on 'the best experience of her life and how it affected her':_

          I'd have to say the best experience of my life was going to the Digital World. It was like something from a movie—it had drama, adventure, humor, and sadness. It even had a little one-sided romance (Riki still likes Naki, but she ignores him completely). I spent my twenty-five days in the Digital World with ten others: my brother David, Riki Wong and his brother Daiki, Riley Kitagawa and Compass Shioda, Mikara Neko and her brother Josh, Riku Akiyama, Jessica Gale, and Naki Sagano. We became great friends, and, five years later, we still contact each other.

          But I think I should explain what happened _after_ we came home. First of all, we got to bring our Digimon to the real world with us. We were all ecstatic. Secondly, we found out that Jessie's grandparents were still alive, so she lives with them just outside West Shinjuku. Naki, on the other hand, lives by herself wherever she can; she's lived in the Digital World since she was six, and she knows how to take care of herself. Still, our parents are worried about her—West Shinjuku is a big city, after all.

          I'd say we've all adjusted to a normal life, except that we have our Digimon to think of. David is studying to become a computer programmer, which was pretty obvious from the beginning. I'm doing a little of acting and some manga, but my dream is to be part of Tokyo's women's soccer team. Riki is starting to draw manga, too, but he's a lot better than I am; in fact, he's going for a master's in visual arts. Daiki is the captain on his varsity soccer team, and he's really good for a kid. Compass moved to Russia with Morglormon, and she keeps in touch with us occasionally. Riley is hoping to become a vet, and she can't wait for college to start. Mikara and her Digimon moved to London, England, and that's where she attend Oxford University. Josh is a tech wiz just like David, and he can hack better than anyone I know. Riku is more surprising every year; she's currently training to become a detective on the drug unit. Jessie is still an outdoorsy type: she goes hiking, rock climbing, and kayaking. And Naki apparently goes to school; she has an education, but how she's getting it, we're still not sure.

          I believe that our trip to the Digital World—and everything that's happened afterwards—couldn't have been better. I believe we owe our success to each other. We've been wonderful friends for five (or more) years, and because of that, we've grown to understand and help each other. There is no better team of kids than us when it comes to enduring twenty-five days of each other. It makes you wonder what is beyond that horizon, what else awaits us. But that's another story.

*        *        *

_Author's Note_: Do I hear the word "sequel" being screamed? Well, even if I don't, I'm writing one anyway. There will be four new characters, and I'm open to any suggestions if you people want to contribute another character. However, if you _do_ plan to suggest a character, he or she must be given an element (wind, fire, earth, or water) and their Digimon must be of that element as well (like Woodmon is an earth elemental, and Raidramon is a wind elemental). One last note about contributing another character: please put it in your review, because my email is still not working. And my final note…

Thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.

~Torre degli Angeli


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